Both tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) are considered as proinflammatory cytokines which display marked daily and postprandial variations. The low grade inflammation is known to contribute to the development of certain states such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and related disorders. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) has been applied to diagnose diabetes and is widely used to estimate the insulin sensitivity in the postprandial phase. Application of tolerance tests with high lipid content such as oral lipid tolerance test (OLTT), high-fat meal (HFM) and mixed meal tests are informative for the metabolic response to complex diets. Postprandial hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia are important and residual risk factors especially in patients with diabetes mellitus and related metabolic disturbances. There are data suggesting that low grade inflammation could be mediated by hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. The aim of the review is to summarize how different challenge tests influence the postprandial circulation levels of IL-6 and TNF alpha.
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