Impact of a Single Western-Style Meal on Serum Lipids and Uric Acid and Cerebrovascular Function in Young and Middle-Aged Adults
Authors: Sanjana Faria , Rizzi Nicholas , Decker Kevin , Kramer Mary , Cerjanic Alexander , Farquhar William , Lennon Shannon , Johnson Curtis , Martens Christopher 
Published: May 2023

Chronic consumption of a Western diet (WD), high in added sugars and saturated fat (SFA) and low in fiber, contributes to increased cardiometabolic risk parameters, including elevated serum lipids and uric acid (UA). Additionally, long-term WD consumption is negatively associated with cognitive function and brain health. Reductions in cerebral blood flow (CBF) have been observed following acute dietary added sugar and SFA intake; however, the direct acute effects of a Western-style meal on cerebrovascular function and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a single Western-style meal on serum lipids and UA along with cerebrovascular function in healthy young and middle-aged adults. 11 participants [6M/5F, age: 45±14 y (range: 30-64 y); BMI: 26±3 kg/m2; BP: 118±12/74±6 mmHg] were enrolled in this randomized-controlled crossover trial. Participants were randomized to two meals that were similar in total energy (~1280 kcal) and macronutrient content. The experimental WD meal consisted of 61 g added sugars, 26 g SFA (60 g total fat), and 5 g fiber, while the control meal (CM) consisted of 16 g added sugars, 12 g SFA (60 g total fat), and 19 g fiber. Serum lipids and UA were assessed at baseline and 3 hours after consumption of each meal. Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) was measured at both timepoints and was assessed as the maximal % change in gray matter CBF during 3-minutes of hypercapnia. CBF was measured using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (PCASL) with a single post-labeling delay and was acquired using a Siemens 3T Prisma MRI scanner. A 2x2 repeated measures ANOVA was used to quantify serum lipids and UA pre- and post-consumption of each meal. An unpaired Mann-Whitney test was used to assess post-meal changes in CVR following the WD meal and CM. Serum triglyceride (Time: p=0.0003; Meal: p=0.57; Interaction: p=0.97) and VLDL-C concentrations (Time: p=0.0005; Meal: p=0.55; Interaction: p=0.81) were higher while HDL-C (Time: p<0.0001; Meal: p=0.17; Interaction: p=0.55) and LDL-C (Time: p=0.0004; Meal: p=0.26; Interaction: p=0.94) were lower after consuming each meal with no main or interaction effect of meal type. Serum UA concentration was reduced following both meals with a greater decrease following the WD meal (Time: p<0.0001; Meal: p=0.35; Interaction: p=0.03). Post-meal % Δ CVR was increased following the WD meal compared to CM [WD (N=10): 1.88 ± 2.86% vs. CM (N=7): -0.31 ± 0.46%; p=0.03]. These results suggest serum UA concentration is reduced and CVR is increased after acute consumption of a WD meal. Future studies should explore the interaction between UA metabolism and cerebrovascular function following an acute WD meal to better understand the mechanism behind the negative association between chronic WD consumption and cognitive function.

Grant Support: NIH grants P20GM103653, P20GM113125, K01AG054731

This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.