Methods for measuring lipid metabolism in vivo

Purpose of review: This review discusses diverse methods that have been used in several recent papers for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of lipids, studies of lipid oxidation, lipoprotein fractionation, and studies of lipid metabolism and metabolic kinetics using tracers. Papers for this review were selected on the basis of their timeliness, novelty, and/or their potential impact on diverse fields of lipid metabolism. Recent findings: Many methods used for studies of lipid metabolism employ advanced chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques to characterize lipids. In particular, the use of stable isotopically labeled tracers has become increasingly important to study metabolic kinetics. Summary: Such developments in methodology will continue to advance studies of lipid metabolism in many areas of clinical interest, including heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.