Comparative Fasting Lipid Profile in Relation to Time since Last Meal in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Observational Study from a Tertiary Hospital in India

Objective: Lipid profile is traditionally measured after twelve hours of fasting. Measurement of lipid profile after ten hours fasting state would be more convenient, particularly in diabetic subjects. This study was done to evaluate the extent of alteration of serum lipid profile parameters in relation to time since the last meal in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: Sixty subjects diagnosed as type 2 diabetes mellitus were included in this study. Ten and twelve hours fasting lipid profile were measured accordingly. Results: Mean serum fasting total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at ten hours were 186.45±44.05 mg/dL, 45.28±12.25 mg/dL, 112.38±35.28 mg/d respectively and at 12 hours were 185.90±45.61 mg/dL, 45.03±12.44 mg/dL, 112.07±36.91 mg/dL respectively with no statistically significant difference (P=0.61, 0.47 and 0.69 respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between median (interquartile range) triglycerides (TG) levels of 143(96-214) mg/dL and 150(103-226) mg/dL at 10th and 12th hours respectively (P=0.57). Conclusions: Ten hours fasting lipid profile was comparable to twelve hours fasting lipid profile without any significant difference. Therefore, this study concluded that fasting lipid profile after 10 hours since last meal may be recommended