Objective: This study evaluated the acute effect of a high-carbohydrate snack (HCS) on systemic microvascular function of healthy, young volunteers, using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI).
Methods: Cutaneous microvascular blood flow was assessed in the forearm with LSCI coupled to iontophoresis of acetylcholine, using increasing anodal currents, before and after (25 min) the ingestion of a HCS or water (control). Twenty volunteers (10 male) received a single HCS (70 g of carbohydrates) in the fasting state in the morning.
Results: The area under the curve (AUC) of acetylcholine-induced microvascular vasodilation increased from 17,847 ± 4539 to 20,315 ± 7168 arbitrary perfusion units/s (P = 0.03) after ingestion of a HCS, but was unchanged after the ingestion of water (P = 0.22).
Conclusion: A single snack consisting on an acute oral load of carbohydrates induced a significant increase of endothelium-dependent microvascular vasodilation in healthy, young subjects.
Keywords: High carbohydrate snack; Laser speckle contrast imaging; Laser-based methods; Microvascular endothelial function.
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