OBJECTIVETo explore the influence of acute glucose and fat loading on endothelium dependent flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) in patients with essential hypertension (EH).

METHODSPatients 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).

CONCLUSIONCombined glucose and fat loading additively reduced FMD in hypertensive patients.