European Journal of Nutrition · 9 authors, 6 centres
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This cross-sectional study of two age groups from a Norwegian cohort analyzed how serum metabolite concentrations change over the 7 hours after a habitual meal. The central result is that most amino acids, some lipids, and certain vitamins show predictable postprandial fluctuations, suggesting that a simple 'fasting vs. non-fasting' classification may be inadequate for interpreting biomarker data.
A single blood draw was taken, and time since last meal varied. Linear regression models estimated marginal geometric mean metabolite concentrations across time since last meal (up to 7 hours), adjusted for age, sex, and BMI. Results showed highest concentrations of most amino acids and one-carbon metabolites within the first 3 hours after a meal. Triglycerides and phylloquinone peaked at 1 hour, while total and LDL cholesterol were lowest in the first 2 hours. Thiamine and its monophosphate were highest, and flavin mononucleotide was lowest in the first 2 hours. No clear patterns emerged for other vitamins or some lipids. The authors note that these fluctuations, while potentially clinically insignificant for diagnosis, could introduce uncertainty in epidemiological research and suggest accounting for exact time since last meal rather than using broad fasting categories.
