Relation between triglycerides in human skeletal muscle and serum and the fractional elimination rate of exogenous plasma triglycerides.

Muscle triglycerides, serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations and an intravenous fat tolerance test were determined on thirteen survivors of myocardial infarction and on fourteen subjects referred to a Lipid Clinic but without myocardial infarction. The mean concentration of triglycerides in muscle and the fractional removal rate k2 of intravenous injected Intralipid were similar in patients with and without MI. In seventeen of these subjects type IV hyperlipoproteinaemia was found. In type IV patients the muscle triglyceride concentration was twice that found in patients without hypertriglyceridaemia. A negative correlation between muscle triglyceride concentration and the k2 value was found for all subjects with a correlation coefficient of -0.62 (P less than 0.001). No independent correlations were found between muscle triglyceride and serum triglyceride concentration or the triglyceride concentrations of the major lipoproteins.