Acute hypertriglyceridemia is associated with peripheral vasodilation and increased basal flow in healthy young adults

Prior studies suggest that acute elevations in plasma triglycerides alter vascular tone and impair endothelial function. To investigate the relation between acute hypertriglyceridemia and vascular function, we examined the effects of high- and low-fat meals on brachial artery reactivity in 14 healthy volunteers. Flow-mediated dilation declined from 14.7 ± 8.3% to 10.6 ± 6.2% after the high-fat meal only (p <0.001), and this decline was associated with a 6% increase in baseline brachial artery diameter (3.50 ± 0.74 mm to 3.70 ± 0.81 mm, p <0.001), but not a decrease in the arterial diameter during hyperemia. The high-fat meal increased serum triglycerides and insulin by 94% and 438%, respectively. To investigate the effects of triglyceride elevation in isolation from hyperinsulinemia, we examined vascular responses to an intravenous infusion of a triglyceride emulsion in 28 subjects. Triglyceride emulsion increased serum triglycerides 197% but had no effect on serum insulin. Brachial artery diameter increased 4%, from 3.68 ± 0.51 mm to 3.81 ± 0.56 mm (p <0.05), and forearm flow increased 36%, reflecting vasodilation of forearm resistance vessels. Flow-mediated dilation and nitroglycerin-mediated dilation were unaffected. The triglyceride emulsion had no direct dilator effect on rabbit aortic tissue in vitro. In conclusion, acute hypertriglyceridemia is associated with vasodilation of conduit and resistance vessels in the arm and does not impair endothelial vasodilator function per se. The dilator effect is not insulin-dependent and does not appear to be a direct effect of triglycerides on vascular tissue.