Postprandial lipid and insulin responses among healthy, overweight men to mixed meals served with baked herring, pickled herring or baked, minced beef.

purposeThe aim was to compare postprandial lipid, insulin and vitamin D responses after consumption of three otherwise identical meals served either with baked herring, pickled herring or with baked, minced beef.

methodsSeventeen healthy, overweight men (mean age 58 years, BMI 26.4-29.5 kg/m(2)) consumed standardized lunches together with baked herring, pickled herring or baked, minced beef on three occasions in a crossover design. Blood samples were taken just before and up to 7 h after the meal. The postprandial response was measured as serum concentrations of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol and lipoproteins (LDL, HDL and VLDL), insulin, 25-OH vitamin D and plasma fatty acid composition.

resultsThere was no difference in postprandial lipid responses between the two herring meals, whereas a slower TG clearance was observed after the baked, minced beef meal. The 150 g servings of baked and pickled herring provided 3.3 and 2.8 g of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA), respectively, which was reflected in a substantial postprandial increase in plasma LC n-3 PUFA levels. The pickled herring contained 22% sugar and consequently gave a higher insulin response compared with the other two meals.

conclusionsBoth pickled and baked herring are good sources of LC n-3 PUFA in the diet, but the presence of sugar in pickled herring should be taken into consideration, especially if large amounts are consumed. The faster postprandial TG clearance after a meal with baked herring compared with baked beef supports previous studies on the beneficial effects of herring on cardiovascular health.