Abstract
This study determined the effects of a high-fat meal on circulating endotoxin and cardiometabolic indices in adult Arab women. The cohort consisted of 92 consenting Saudi women (18 non-diabetic (ND)) control subjects; Age 24.4 +/- 7.9 year; body mass index (BMI) 22.2 +/- 2.2 Kg/m(2)), 24 overweight/obese (referred to as overweight-plus (overweight(+))) subjects (Age 32.0 +/- 7.8 year; BMI 28.5 +/- 1.5 Kg/m(2)) and 50 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients (Age 41.5 +/- 6.2 year; BMI 35.2 +/- 7.7 Kg/m(2)). All were given a high-fat meal (standardized meal: 75 g fat, 5 g carbohydrate, 6 g protein) after an overnight fast of 12-14 h. Anthropometrics were obtained and fasting blood glucose, lipids, and endotoxin were serially measured for four consecutive postprandial hours. Endotoxin levels were significantly elevated prior to a high-fat meal in the overweight(+) and T2DM than the controls (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the postprandial cardiometabolic changes led to a more detrimental risk profile in T2DM subjects than other groups, with serial changes most notable in glucose, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), and insulin levels (p-values < 0.05). The same single meal given to subjects with different metabolic states had varying impacts on cardiometabolic health. Endotoxemia is exacerbated by a high-fat meal in Arab subjects with T2DM, accompanied by a parallel increase in cardiometabolic risk profile, suggesting disparity in disease pathogenesis of those with or without T2DM through the altered cardiometabolic risk profile rather than variance in metabolic endotoxinaemia with a high-fat meal.