The effect of a high-fat meal on markers of vascular function in people with metabolic associated fatty liver disease
Creators: name: Dugdale, Samuel
Publisher: name: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Year: 2025
Subjects: cardiovascular
disease
function
endothelial
arterial
stiffness
hepatology
fat
metabolism
lipemia
Clinical sciences
Nutrition and dietetics
Other biomedical and clinical sciences

description: Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a condition characterised by the presence of excessive fat accumulation in the liver and the additional presence of at least tne of the following metabolic risk factors: obesity/overweight, type 2 diabetes, or being lean with evidence of metabolic dysregulation. Globally, approximately 38% of the general population have MAFLD. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major burden on people with MAFLD, causing 40% of all deaths in this cohort. Although the association between MAFLD and CVD risk is well established, the mechanisms underpinning this association are not clearly defined. The consumption of meals rich in fat may be an underlying risk factor that contributes to the increased risk of CVD in people with MAFLD by inducing endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the acute effect of a single fast-food meal high in fat content (test meal) on endothelial function, arterial stiffness, and circulating blood lipid and glucose concentrations in participants with and without MAFLD.
description: Participants with (n = 8, 68 ± 7 years, 50% male) and without MAFLD (n = 9, 62 ± 8 years, 44% male) attended two experimental sessions and consumed either the test meal (3579 kj, 45.4 g of fat) or a 50 mL glass of water (control) in a randomised cross-over design. At baseline, brachial artery flow mediated dilation (FMD) was lower, and pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index adjusted to 75 bpm (AIx75), blood glucose, and triglyceride concentrations were higher in the participants with MAFLD. Following consumption of the test meal there was a reduction in FMD in both groups, whereas there was no change during the water control visit. When expressed relative to baseline, the percentage change in FMD was greater in the MAFLD group after the test meal compared with the healthy control group (-61 ± 12% vs -41 ± 23%, P = 0.046). There were no changes in arterial stiffness measures (PWV and AIx) during either visit for the MAFLD group. Blood triglyceride concentrations were elevated after the test meal and remained unchanged during the water control for both groups. However, the absolute change (Δ) in triglyceride levels from baseline to peak elevation was greater in the MAFLD group compared with the healthy control group after the test meal (+ 1.41 ± 0.58 mmol·L-1 vs + 0.72 ± 0.56 mmol·L-1, P = 0.043). Blood glucose concentration was elevated after the test meal in the MAFLD group and did not change in the healthy control group.
description: The findings from this thesis concur with previous evidence that endothelial function is impaired by a single high fat meal. However, the key novel finding from this study is that this impairment is exacerbated in people with MAFLD compared with sex- and age-matched healthy participants. Elevated blood triglycerides and glucose in the MAFLD group after the test meal suggest that these variables may play a crucial role in the postprandial impairment in endothelial function, however, this interaction was not confirmed. Thus, further research is required to investigate the potential mechanisms of the postprandial FMD response in MAFLD. The findings from this thesis suggest that reducing intake of dietary fats should be a treatment target to decrease both the risk and the burden of CVD on the MAFLD population.