FRIDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- After consuming a high-fat meal, endothelial function is unchanged and arterial stiffness is reduced, and following a low-carbohydrate diet, no detectable impairment on vascular function is found, according to two studies presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, held from May 31 to June 4 in Denver.
Sameer Chaudri, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues assessed arterial stiffness and endothelial function in 66 participants at baseline and four hours after consuming a high-fat meal. Arterial stiffness was measured by fingertip tonometry derived augmentation index (AI), and endothelial function was assessed by reactive hyperemia index (RHI). After eating a high-fat meal, the AI decreased significantly, but RHI was unchanged. Lower postprandial AI was correlated with younger age, higher maximal oxygen capacity, and lower total body fat. Baseline AI was the only independent marker of postprandial AI.
Kerry Stewart, Ed.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues compared the vascular health effect of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets in 46 overweight and obese individuals. Vascular function was measured by RHI and AI at baseline and after weight loss of 10 pounds. No significant difference was found in the RHI or AI in either group, even after adjusting for time to 10-pound weight loss.
"Whereas these data suggest that lifestyle intervention that includes a low-carbohydrate diet does not adversely affect vascular health, the long-term impact of these weight loss programs is yet to be determined," Stewart and colleagues write.
Abstract - Chaudri
Abstract - Stewart
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