Triglyceride-rich lipoprotein remnant levels and metabolism

mong the major components of the standard plasma lipid rofile, the total triglyceride (TG) level is generally considred the weakest risk factor for atherosclerosis, for which here are several likely contributing reasons. First, TG is eadily metabolized and is not a major constituent of therosclerotic plaque. Second, plasma TG varies greatly rom day to day in the fasting state and even more in the enerally unmeasured postprandial state. More importantly, here is considerable heterogeneity among TG-rich lipoproeins (TGRLs) ranging from highly atherogenic TGRL emnants to larger chylomicrons (and larger very lowensity lipoproteins, VLDLs) too large to penetrate the rtery wall (1) and hence ineffectual substrates for plaque rogression (2). The preferential excess of these very large, onatherogenic TGRLs above a plasma TG of approxi-