title: Postprandial leukocyte increase in healthy subjects.
abstract: Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disorder involving leukocytes and lipids. To study the relationship between leukocytes and lipids in vivo, leukocyte changes were determined in 14 healthy males (age, 23 +/- 3 years; body mass index [BMI], 21.9 +/- 1.5 kg/m(2)) after an 8-hour oral fat load (50 g/m(2)) and after water. The postprandial triglyceride (TG) increment after fat was paralleled by a leukocyte increment, due to an increase in neutrophils in the first 2 hours (142% +/- 69% higher than baseline, P =.04). Neutrophil counts did not return to baseline at the end of the test. Water ingestion did not induce significant neutrophil changes. Blood lymphocytes increased gradually in both tests (142% +/- 30% higher than baseline, P <.001 after fat, and 128% +/- 36%, P =.02 after water). The total leukocyte increment after fat ingestion was related to the postprandial TG increase (Spearman's r = 0.73, P =.003). An early postprandial, lipid-specific, neutrophil increment is a new characteristic of the postprandial phase. Future studies will elucidate the role of postprandial leukocyte changes in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A J h h m
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Van Oostrom
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Sijmonsma
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Rabelink
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Van Asbeck
authors.forename: M Castro
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cabezas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology*; D019518:Postprandial Period / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats