Effect of weight loss on VLDL-triglyceride and apoB-100 kinetics in women with abdominal obesity

The effects of obesity and weight loss on lipoprotein kinetics were evaluated in six lean women [body mass index (BMI): 21 ± 1 kg/m²] and seven women with abdominal obesity (BMI: 36 ± 1 kg/m²). Stable isotope tracer techniques, in conjunction with compartmental modeling, were used to determine VLDL-triglyceride (TG) and apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100) secretion rates in lean women and in obese women before and after 10% weight loss. VLDL-TG and VLDL-apoB-100 secretion rates were similar in lean and obese women. Weight loss decreased the rate of VLDL-TG secretion by ∼40% (from 0.41 ± 0.05 to 0.23 ± 0.03 μmol·kg fat-free mass^-1·min^-1; P < 0.05). The relative decline in VLDL-TG produced from nonsystemic fatty acids, derived from intraperitoneal and intrahepatic TG, was greater (61 ± 7%) than the decline in VLDL-TG produced from systemic fatty acids, predominantly derived from subcutaneous TG (25 ± 8%; P < 0.05). Weight loss did not affect VLDL-apoB-100 secretion rate. We conclude that weight loss decreases the rate of VLDL-TG secretion in women with abdominal obesity, primarily by decreasing the availability of nonsystemic fatty acids. There is a dissociation in the effect of weight loss on VLDL-TG and apoB-100 metabolic pathways that may affect VLDL particle size.