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| Health - Reuters - updated 5:55 PM ET Jun 1 |
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High-Fat Meals Hamper Artery FunctionBy Keith Mulvihill NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Immediately after gobbling down a high-fat meal, an individual experiences a dramatic drop in the elasticity of their arteries, a situation that could increase their risk of heart attack, Australian researchers reported on Friday. Arteries need to be supple enough to expand when muscles--including the heart--demand more oxygen, and a loss of elasticity spells trouble for the body. ``This is the first demonstration that a high-fat meal impairs the elasticity of our largest arteries, that is, they become stiffer,'' lead author Dr. Paul Nestel of the Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne told Reuters Health in an interview. ``Stiffness develops with aging and is the main cause of systolic hypertension, the common type of raised blood pressure in the elderly. Stiffening also places an extra load on the heart,'' he explained. In a new study, Nestel and colleagues gave 16 volunteers a high-fat meal consisting of a ham-and-cheese sandwich washed down with a glass of whole milk and followed by a helping of ice cream for dessert. The total fat content of the meal was 50 grams, well below that of a typical fast-food meal consisting of a cheeseburger and fries, and roughly half the amount of fat a typical American man consumes each day. The investigators found that those that ate the high-fat meal had higher levels of triglycerides and cholesterol at 3 and 6 hours after consuming the meal. What's more, those who ate the high-fat meal experienced a 25% reduction and a 27% reduction in overall elasticity of their large arteries, according to the report in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The high-fat meal eaters were then compared with those who ate a low-fat meal of 6 grams of fat derived from breads, cereal, low-fat milk and spreads. The researchers took blood samples and measured levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and systemic arterial compliance--the elasticity characteristics of an artery. ``The findings are particularly relevant to older people, those with raised blood fats and those with heart disease,'' Nestel told Reuters Health. ``High-fat meals should be avoided,'' he added. SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2001;37:1929-1935.
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