Postprandial triglyceride metabolism in elderly men with subnormal testosterone levels

Aim: To investigate the level of postprandial triglycerides (TG)s in elderly men with subnormal testosterone level (<= 11.0 nmol/L) compared to men with normal testosterone level (> 11.0 nmol/L). Methods: Thirthy-seven men with subnormal and 41 men with normal testosterone aged 60-80 years underwent an oral fat load and TG levels were measured fasting and 2, 4, 6 and 8 h afterwards. Results: Men with subnormal testosterone had significantly higher body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (P < 0.001) than men with normal testosterone. They had significantly higher area under curve (AUC, P = 0.037), incremental area under curve (AUCi, P = 0.035) and TG response (TGR, P = 0.014) for serum-TG and significantly higher AUC (P = 0.023), AUCi (P = 0.023) and TGR (P = 0.014) for chylomicron-TG compared to men with normal testosterone level. Adjusting for waist circumference erased the significant differences between the groups in postprandial triglyceridemia. Conclusion: Men with subnormal testosterone have increased postprandial TG levels indicating an impaired metabolism of postprandial TG-rich lipoproteins (TRL), which may add to an unfavourable lipid profile and promote development of atherosclerosis.