[PHNUTR-L] A single high-fat meal plus stress equals physical harm

[Kathrynne Holden]

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Public release date: 23-Apr-2007
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-04/uoc-ash042007.php

Contact: Gregory Harris
gharris at ucalgary.ca
403-220-3506
University of Calgary

A steady, high-fat diet is bad, but the news gets worse

A single high-fat meal plus stress equals physical harm

So much for the adage, ‘All things in moderation.’ Researchers at the 
University of Calgary have found that people who consume a single, 
high-fat meal are more prone to suffer the physical consequences of 
stress than those who eat a low-fat meal.

Published this month in the Journal of Nutrition, the study looked at 
the stress responses of two groups of students: one group consumed a 
fast-food breakfast from McDonald’s, the other ate dry cereal with skim 
milk, cereal bars and non-fat yogurt.

"What’s really shocking is that this is just one meal," says Dr Tavis 
Campbell, a specialist in behavioural medicine and senior author of the 
study.

"It’s been well documented that a high-fat diet leads to 
artherosclerosis and high blood pressure, and that exaggerated and 
prolonged cardiovascular responses to stress are associated with high 
blood pressure in the future. So when we learn that even a single, 
high-fat meal can make you more reactive to stress, it’s cause for 
concern because it suggests a new and damaging way that a high-fat diet 
affects cardiovascular function."

In the study, 30 healthy young adults fasted the night before, then 
consumed either a high- or low-fat breakfast. Both meals had the same 
number of calories and the low-fat breakfast included supplements to 
balance it for sodium and potassium.

Two hours later the two groups were subjected to standard physical and 
mental stress tests while having their cardiovascular responses 
measured. They performed a mathematical test designed to be stressful, 
completed a public speaking exercise about something emotionally 
provocative, held an arm in ice water, and had a blood pressure cuff 
inflated around an arm, which gradually causes a dull ache.

"Regardless of the task, we recorded greater reactivity among those who 
consumed the high-fat meal in several cardiovascular measures we 
recorded, including blood pressure, heart rate and the resistance of 
blood vessels," says Fabijana Jakulj, a U of C student who used the 
study as the basis for her honours thesis.

Campbell cautions that despite the grim message that even one high-fat 
meal is unhealthy, more research is needed to fully understand how the 
mechanisms work. "Telling people to never eat something is probably not 
a good way to promote a better diet," he says. "At the same time we do 
have an epidemic of obesity in North America and it’s important that 
people try to make informed choices."
-- 
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar at nutritionucanlivewith.com >
"Ask the Parkinson Dietitian"  http://www.parkinson.org/
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