Objective: To explore the influence of acute glucose and fat loading on endothelium dependent flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) in patients with essential hypertension (EH).
Methods: Patients with EH were randomly divided into three groups: oral glucose loading alone (n = 26), oral standardized fat loading alone (n = 38), combined glucose and fat loading (n = 34). FMD of the brachial artery was assessed by high resolution ultrasound technique respectively.
Results: (1) Compared to control group, postprandial abnormal serum triglyceride metabolism was evidenced and FMD was significantly reduced and the lowest FMD occurred at 4 hours and returned to the baseline level at 8 hours post fat loading alone in EH patients. (2) GS-AUC and 1 hour glucose were significantly higher in EH patients than in controls (all P < 0.05), FMD was also significant decreased (-31.4%) at 1 hour and returned to baseline level at 2 hours post oral glucose loading. (3) After combined glucose and fat loading, FMD at 1 hour (5.45 ± 1.93 vs. 9.46 ± 3.33, P < 0.05) was significantly lower than that in glucose loading alone and FMD at 4 hours (7.98 ± 1.64 vs. 9.66 ± 2.26, P < 0.05), was also lower than that in fat loading alone in EH patients. (4) FMD was negatively correlated with SBP, GS-AUC, DBP, TG-AUC (γ = -0.46, -0.44, -0.41, -0.38, respectively, all P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Combined glucose and fat loading additively reduced FMD in hypertensive patients.