title: Effect of isoenergetic intake of three or nine meals on plasma lipoproteins and glucose metabolism.
abstract: To investigate the effects of meal frequency on plasma lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, 19 healthy normocholesterolemic free-living men and women consumed their usual diet as three or nine meals per day in random order for 2 wk each. There was no significant difference in macronutrient intake. Compared with the three-meal/d diet, nine meals per day reduced fasting plasma total, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol by 6.5% (P < 0.005), 8.1% (P < 0.005), and 4.1% (P < 0.05), respectively. Body weight, fasting triglycerides, apolipoproteins A-I and B, and the LDL-HDL cholesterol ratios were not different for the two diets, as were 24-h urinary C peptide-creatinine ratios and insulin-glucose response to a glucose load. The insulin-glucose curve measured over 3 h in the evening after the evening meal was flatter for the nine meals, but the areas under the curves were not significantly different. Increasing meal frequency while maintaining a constant nutrient intake produces a small but significant decrease in LDL cholesterol in normolipidemic free-living subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D002096:C-Peptide / Q000652:urine; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D004032:Diet; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002096:C-Peptide; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D008074:Lipoproteins; D003404:Creatinine