The influence of visceral fat on the postprandial lipemic response in men with paraplegia.

Background: Postprandial lipemia (PPL) is associated with vascular dysfunction and may be an etiologic factor in the progression of atherogenic cardiovascular disease.Objective: In 10 men with paraplegia and 10 able-bodied men, the magnitude of the PPL responses and the relationship of abdominal adiposity and the PPL responses were determined.Methods: Anthropometrics, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, and abdominal ultrasonography were performed to determine visceral fat and total body fat. A fasting lipid profile was performed. A high-fat milkshake (1.3 g fat/kg body mass) was administered with serum collected at baseline and at 2, 4, and 6 hours after the test meal for subsequent measurement of triglyceride. The triglyceride response was determined by the area under the triglyceride curve.Results: No significant differences were noted between the groups in fasting lipid values or in measures of visceral fat. Total body fat tended to be higher in men with paraplegia than in able-bodied men (34.9 ± 10.0 v...