Influence of aging and menopause on postprandial lipoprotein responses in healthy adult women

Aim: To analyze the influence of menopause and age on postprandial lipoprotein responses in healthy adult women. Method: Twenty-seven healthy young and middle-aged pre- and postmenopausal female volunteers aged 21-53 y were enrolled. They ingested OFTT cream (Jomo, Takasaki, Japan). Fasting and postprandial blood samples were obtained for up to 6 h, and serum concentrations of lipoproteins were analyzed. Results: In the postprandial phase, serum triglycerides (TG), remnant-like particle (R-LP)-TG (RLP-TG), R-LP-cholesterol (RLP-C, and TG-rich lipoprotein-TG (TRL-TG) concentrations in all groups peaked after 2 h. After 4 h, the TG, RLP-C, RLP-TG and TRL-TG concentrations in the young women returned to the fasting concentrations. However, at 6 h, these parameters in the pre- and postmenopausal women had barely returned to the fasting concentrations. Conclusion: The present results suggest that: (1) the magnitude of postprandial TG concentrations is dependent on age, but not on menopause; (2) clearance of remnant lipoproteins is delayed with age in pre- and postmenopausal women compared to young women, and (3) menopause is associated with an increase of RLP-C, but may not influence LDL particle size.