Phosphorus supplement alters postprandial lipemia of healthy male subjects: a pilot cross-over trial.

Background: Epidemiological studies have found a U-shaped relationship between serum phosphorus and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The mechanism(s) behind such a relationship are poorly understood. Phosphorus (P) is reported to improve insulin sensitivity, which is involved in lipid metabolism, and thus we were interested in determining the impact of phosphorus ingestion on postprandial lipemia, a recognized CVD risk factor.

Findings: A within-subject study design was conducted, whereby 8 healthy male subjects received a high fat meal (330 Kcal; 69% energy from fat; 35 mg of phosphorus) with placebo or phosphorus (500 mg) in a random order. Postprandial blood samples (~10 ml) were collected every hour for 6 hours after meal ingestion. Changes in different parameters were analyzed using a 2-factor repeated-measure ANOVA. In the phosphorus (P) supplemented group, postprandial serum P increased (p=0.00), while changes in insulin, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and triglyceride (TG) were not significantly different than that of placebo. Concurrently, phosphorus supplementation increased postprandial concentrations of apolipoprotein B48 (ApoB48) (p<0.05) and decreased that of apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100) (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Phosphorus supplementation (500 mg) of the meal seems to alter the different components of postprandial lipemia. These findings highlight the potential role of phosphorus in CVD.