Studies in animals have documented that, compared with glucose, dietary fructose induces dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. To assess the relative effects of these dietary sugars during sustained consumption in humans, overweight and obese subjects consumed glucose-or fructose-sweetened beverages providing 25% of energy requirements for 10 weeks. Although both groups exhibited similar weight gain during the intervention, visceral adipose volume was significantly increased only in subjects consuming fructose. Fasting plasma triglyceride concentrations increased by approximately 10% during 10 weeks of glucose consumption but not after fructose consumption. In contrast, hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and the 23-hour postprandial triglyceride AUC were increased specifically during fructose consumption. Similarly, markers of altered lipid metabolism and lipoprotein remodeling, including fasting apoB, LDL, small dense LDL, oxidized LDL, and postprandial concentrations of remnant-like particle-triglyceride and -cholesterol significantly increased during fructose but not glucose consumption. In addition, fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels increased and insulin sensitivity decreased in subjects consuming fructose but not in those consuming glucose. These data suggest that dietary fructose specifically increases DNL, promotes dyslipidemia, decreases insulin sensitivity, and increases visceral adiposity in overweight/obese adults. IntroductionStudies investigating the effects of fructose consumption in humans and animals have been comprehensively reviewed (1-4), and while strong evidence exists that consumption of diets high in fructose results in increased de novo lipogenesis (DNL), dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and obesity in animals, direct experimental evidence that consumption of fructose promotes DNL, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and obesity in humans is lacking. Thus, we have investigated and compared the biological effects of the 2 major simple sugars in the diet, glucose and fructose, on BW and regional fat deposition and on indices of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in older, overweight and obese men and women.We sought to answer the following questions: (a) Does consumption of fructose with an ad libitum diet promote greater BW gain and have differential effects on regional adipose deposition and adipose gene expression compared with consumption of glucose with an ad libitum diet? (b) Does consumption of fructose induce dyslipidemia compared with consumption of glucose? (c) Is fructose-induced hypertriglyceridemia the result of increased rates

BACKGROUND A protein that is expressed on capillary endothelial cells, called GPIHBP1 (glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high-density lipoprotein binding protein 1), binds lipoprotein lipase and shuttles it to its site of action in the capillary lumen. A deficiency in GPIHBP1 prevents lipoprotein lipase from reaching the capillary lumen. Patients with GPIHBP1 deficiency have low plasma levels of lipoprotein lipase, impaired intravascular hydrolysis of triglycerides, and severe hypertriglyceridemia (chylomicronemia). During the characterization of a monoclonal antibody–based immunoassay for GPIHBP1, we encountered two plasma samples (both from patients with chylomicronemia) that contained an interfering substance that made it impossible to measure GPIHBP1. That finding raised the possibility that those samples might contain GPIHBP1 autoantibodies. METHODS Using a combination of immunoassays, Western blot analyses, and immunocytochemical studies, we tested the two plasma samples (as well as samples from other patients with chylomicronemia) for the presence of GPIHBP1 autoantibodies. We also tested the ability of GPIHBP1 autoantibodies to block the binding of lipoprotein lipase to GPIHBP1. RESULTS We identified GPIHBP1 autoantibodies in six patients with chylomicronemia and found that these autoantibodies blocked the binding of lipoprotein lipase to GPIHBP1. As in patients with GPIHBP1 deficiency, those with GPIHBP1 autoantibodies had low plasma levels of lipoprotein lipase. Three of the six patients had systemic lupus erythematosus. One of these patients who had GPIHBP1 autoantibodies delivered a baby with plasma containing maternal GPIHBP1 autoantibodies; the infant had severe but transient chylomicronemia. Two of the patients with chylomicronemia and GPIHBP1 autoantibodies had a response to treatment with immunosuppressive agents. CONCLUSIONS In six patients with chylomicronemia, GPIHBP1 autoantibodies blocked the ability of GPIHBP1 to bind and transport lipoprotein lipase, thereby interfering with lipoprotein lipase–mediated processing of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and causing severe hypertriglyceridemia.

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Objective A direct assay for small dense low density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C) has been developed. Our goal was to establish normal ranges for this assay as well as to measure values in patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD) versus control subjects. Methods Direct LDL-C and sdLDL-C analyses were carried out on samples from 3,188 male and female participants of the Framingham Offspring Study, which included 173 male and 74 female CHD cases. Results Male gender and female postmenopausal status were both associated with significantly (p<0.0001) higher sdLDL-C values. Use of cholesterol-lowering medications was significantly (p<0.0001) higher in CHD cases than in controls (46.8% versus 11.4% in men, and 35.1% versus 8.8% in women). Direct LDL-C levels were significantly lower in male CHD patients than in male controls (3.22 versus 3.51 mmol/L, p<0.0001), but their mean sdLDL-C levels were similar to those in controls (0.83 versus 0.84 mmol/L, p=0.609). Female CHD patients had similar LDL-C values to female controls (3.53 versus 3.46 mmol/L, p=0.543), but had significantly higher sdLDL-C values (0.83 versus 0.68 mmol/L, p=0.0015). Both male and female cases also had significantly (p<0.01) higher percentages of LDL-C as sdLDLC than controls. Conclusions Despite four fold greater cholesterol lowering therapy use, CHD patients had mean LDL-C values well above the LDL-C goal of < 2.6 mmol/L or 100 mg/dl, and male CHD cases had similar sdLDL C values and female CHD cases had significantly higher values than controls. These findings may explain some of the high residual risk of future CHD events in CHD patients.

Aims/hypothesis Glycated albumin is a measure of the mean plasma glucose concentration over approximately 2-3 weeks. We determined reference values for glycated albumin, and assessed its utility for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the general population. Methods We studied 1,575 men and women (mean age, 49.9 years; range, 26-78 years) who participated in a periodic health examination in a suburban Japanese town. HbA 1c and fasting plasma concentrations of glucose (FPG) and glycated albumin were measured. Participants with FPG ≥7.0 mmol/l or HbA 1c ≥6.5% (48 mmol/mol) were diagnosed as having diabetes. In our laboratory, the glycated albumin assay had intra-assay and inter-assay CVs of 1.1% and 1.6%, respectively. Results Glycated albumin levels were significantly correlated with HbA 1c levels (r=0.766, p<0.001) and FPG (r= 0.706, p<0.001). The presence of diabetes was significantly higher in participants with glycated albumin levels between 15.0% and 15.9% (five of 276, 1.81%) than in those with glycated albumin <14% (three of 672, 0.45%) (p=0.037), and was markedly increased in those with a glycated albumin level >16% (58 of 207, 28.0%). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that a glycated albumin level of ≥15.5% was optimal for predicting diabetes, with a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 83.3%. Conclusions/interpretation There is merit to further investigating the potential for glycated albumin to be used as an alternative measure of dysglycaemia for future research and clinical practice.