Triglyceride is Significantly Increased in Remnant Lipoproteins After Food Intake and its Association with Lipoprotein Lipase in the Plasma

This article introduces the characteristics of postprandial Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) remnants (remnant lipoproteins; RLP) in plasma which significantly increased after fat load as a major component of increased Triglycerides (TG) and involved in obesity and insulin resistance. It has been long believed that postprandial RLP, mainly Chylomicron (CM) remnants, increases as the result of disturbed lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity caused by insulin resistance, etc. However, based on this report, we recently proposed that elevated postprandial VLDL remnants produced by food intake, such as excessive fat and fructose, cause obesity and insulin resistance when exposed continuously [1]. VLDL remnants, but not CM remnants, is the key word of this article and VLDL remnants play a definitive role as a “bridge” between food intake and its metabolism. Here, we have explained the bridging role of VLDL remnants between the habit of food intake and its metabolism in body. Following 6 aspects between fat-rich meal intake and the increase of plasma postprandial TG and RLP are explained. (1) Why TG and RLP increase after food intake? (2) Which lipoproteins increase most after food intake? (3) What percentage of increased TG after food is comprised of RLP-TG? (4) How the increased TG is metabolized by LPL? (5) The increase of postprandial RLP is the result of obesity and insulin resistance or cause of obesity and insulin resistance? (6)Why postprandial TG is a risk of cardiovascular diseases?