Impact of Meal Fatty Acid Composition on Postprandial Lipemia in Metabolically Healthy Adults and Individuals with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Systematic Review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Consuming fat results in postprandial lipemia, which is defined as an increase in blood triglyceride (TG) concentration. According to current knowledge, an excessively elevated postprandial TG concentration increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is well known that meal-dependent (e.g., nutrient composition) as well as meal-independent factors (e.g., age) determine the magnitude of the lipemic response. However, there is conflicting evidence concerning the influence of fatty acid (FA) composition on postprandial TG concentration. The FA composition of a meal depends on the fat source used; for example, butter and coconut oil are rich in SFAs, while olive oil and canola oil have a high content of unsaturated FAs. To investigate the influence of meals prepared with fat sources rich in either SFAs or unsaturated FAs on postprandial lipemia, we carried out a systematic literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. Randomized crossover studies were analyzed and the AUC of postprandial TG concentration served as the primary outcome measure. To examine the influence of health status, we differentiated between metabolically healthy individuals and those with CVD risk factors. In total, 23 studies were included. The results show that, in metabolically healthy adults, the FA composition of a meal is not a relevant determinant of postprandial lipemia. However, in individuals with CVD risk factors, SFA-rich meals (>32 g SFA/meal) often elicited a stronger lipemic response than meals rich in unsaturated FAs. The results suggest that adults with hypertriglyceridemia, an elevated BMI (≥30 kg/m2), and/or who are older (>40 y) may benefit from replacing SFA sources with unsaturated FAs. These hypotheses need to be verified by further studies in people with CVD risk factors using standardized postprandial protocols. This review was registered in PROSPERO as CRD42021214508 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/).