Horm Metab Res 2005; 37(5): 336-341
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-861481
Original Clinical
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Reproducibility of an Oral Fat Tolerance Test is Influenced by Phase of Menstrual Cycle

J.  M.  R.  Gill1 , D.  Malkova2 , A.  E.  Hardman3
  • 1 Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
  • 2 Division of Developmental Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
  • 3 School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
Further Information

Publication History

Received 19 August 2004

Accepted after revision 9 November 2004

Publication Date:
22 June 2005 (online)

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Abstract

Knowledge of the reproducibility of oral fat tolerance tests is important for experimental design and data interpretation. In this study, seven normolipidaemic men underwent two fat tolerance tests (blood taken fasting and for six hours after a meal containing 1.2 g fat, 1.2 g carbohydrate per kg body mass) with an interval of one week. Eleven normolipidaemic women underwent two fat tolerance tests - one during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, the other during the mid-luteal phase. Dietary intake was controlled for two days and subjects refrained from exercise for three days before each test. There was no significant difference in postprandial triglyceride responses between the two tests in the men (10.20 ± 3.45 mmol/l·h vs. 9.68 ± 2.77 mmol/l · h, NS) (mean ± SD); intraclass correlation coefficient between the two tests was 0.93, and within-subject coefficient of variation was 10.1 %. In the women, the postprandial triglyceride response was lower in the luteal phase (6.75 ± 1.83 mmol/l·h) than in the follicular phase (8.36 ± 3.71 mmol/l·h) (p = 0.05), intraclass correlation was 0.65 and within-subject coefficient of variation was 23.2 %. These results suggest that, with adequate control of preceding lifestyle, reproducibility of postprandial triglyceride responses is high in men, but menstrual phase should be taken into consideration when studying these responses in women.