Effects of a single oral load of medium-chain triglyceride on serum lipid and insulin levels in man

• Main Authors: I. Tamir, D.B. Grant, Audrey S. Fosbrooke, M.M. Segall, June K. Lloyd
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 1968-09-01
• Series: Journal of Lipid Research
• Subjects: medium-chain triglyceride; octanoic acid; free fatty acids; insulin; glucose; hexadecenoic acid
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022227520427154

Analysis of serum free fatty acids by gas-liquid chromatography showed high proportions (27-57%) of octanoic acid for up to 4 hr after the ingestion of a single oral load of medium-chain triglyceride (approximately 1 g/kg body weight) in four volunteers.The effects of a medium-chain triglyceride load on the concentrations of plasma free long-chain fatty acids, plasma glucose, serum insulin, and serum triglyceride were observed and compared with the effects of a glucose load. A rapid fall in the free long-chain fatty acids followed both loads but only a small rise in serum insulin was observed after medium-chain triglyceride. The fall in free long-chain fatty acids following ingestion of medium-chain triglyceride cannot therefore be caused mainly by the release of insulin and may be due to a direct action on adipose tissue.No medium-chain fatty acids were detected in the serum triglyceride after ingestion of medium-chain triglyceride, but there was a small but significant increase in the percentage of hexadecenoic acid in this fraction.