scholarly journals The cardiovascular, metabolic and hormonal changes accompanying acute starvation in men and women

1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Webber ◽  
I. A. Macdonald

The effect of fasting for 12, 36 and 72 h was studied in twenty-nine healthy subjects (seventeen women and twelve men). Measurements were made of cardiovascular variables, metabolic rate, respiratory exchange ratio, plasma metabolites, insulin, thyroid hormones and catecholamines. During starvation there were no significant changes in blood pressure, whilst heart rate (beatslmin) increased at 36 h and remained elevated after 72 h (12 h 625 (SE 1.8), 36 h 68.0 (SE 1.9), 72 h 69 2 (SE 1.8);P< 0.001). Forearm blood flow(FBF),increased progressively from 3.32 (SE 0.20) to 6.21(SE0.46) m1/100 ml per min (P< 0.001). Resting metabolic rate (kJ/min) was significantly increased after 36 h of starvation (12 h 4 60 (SE 0.14), 36 h 4 88 (SE 0.13),P< 0.001), but was not significantly different from the 12 h value after 72 h (72 h 4.72(SE0.15)P= 0.06). The respiratory exchange ratio fell progressively from 0.80 to 076 to 0.72 (P< 0.001). Blood glucose fell, whilst plasma glycerol and β-hydroxybutyrate rose and plasma lactate did not change. Plasma insulin and free triiodothyronine fell during starvation. Plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline were unchanged at 36 h, but were significantly increased after 72 h. Both sexes showed a similar pattern of response to starvation, although absolute values of blood pressure, forearm blood flow, metabolic rate and plasma catecholamines were higher in men than women. Acute starvation produces profound cardiovascular and metabolic changes which are not explained by the accompanying hormonal changes.

1990 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. W. Gallen ◽  
I. A. Macdonald ◽  
P. I. Mansell

The thermogenic, cardiovascular and metabolic responses to a 30 kJ/kg body-weight test meal were studied in eight normal-weight, healthy female subjects after a 6 or 48 h fast. There was no significant change in metabolic rate following the 48 h fast, but plasma glucose, insulin, noradrenaline and respiratory exchange ratio were all reduced, and plasma β-hydroxybutyrate was increased. Forearm blood flow was increased, with reduction in diastolic blood pressure. After the 48 h fast, there was a reduction in the metabolic rate response 40–90 min after food (control+0·54 (se0·05), 48 h fast + 0·27 (se0·12) kJ/min,I< 0·01), and in forearm blood flow and diastolic blood pressure responses, but increases in heart rate, blood glucose and plasma insulin responses to the ingestion of the test meal. There was no significant relationship between plasma catecholamine concentration and food ingestion or metabolic rate. Fasting induced considerable adaptation in these subjects and altered some of the physiological responses to food ingestion.


1988 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 615-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Lenders ◽  
Harry Houben ◽  
Rudolf Van Valderen ◽  
Jacques Willemsen ◽  
Theo Thien

1. To determine the reproducibility of a mental arithmetic stress test and a handgrip exercise test, we studied the responses of blood pressure, heart rate, forearm blood flow and plasma catecholamines on two occasions, with an interval of at least 1 week, in 24 normotensive and 22 hypertensive subjects. 2. The se of a single observation of the percentage changes of blood pressure ranged from 3.9 to 9.3% in normotensive subjects and from 3.9 to 7.4% in hypertensive subjects in both tests. For heart rate, these values were 4.9–12.3% in the normotensive subjects and 4.8–5.7% in the hypertensive subjects. However, there was a wide individual scatter of these haemodynamic responses during both tests. The forearm blood flow, only measured during mental arithmetic, had an se of a single observation of 33.7%. 3. In 10 normotensive subjects the se of a single observation of the change in plasma noradrenaline was 0.16 nmol/l during handgrip exercise and 0.09 nmol/l during mental arithmetic. The corresponding values for plasma adrenaline were 0.04 and 0.05 nmol/l. 4. In conclusion, although both tests showed a rather low se of a single observation for the blood pressure and heart rate responses in normo- and hyper-tensive subjects, there was a considerable individual variability. If related to the mean forearm blood flow responses, the se of a single observation of the forearm blood flow response was of similar magnitude. The limited intra-individual reproducibility of both tests should be borne in mind when interpreting pharmacological intervention studies or studies evaluating sympathoadrenal reactivity in cardiovascular disorders.


1981 ◽  
Vol 61 (s7) ◽  
pp. 161s-164s ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Bolli ◽  
F. W. Amann ◽  
L. Hulthén ◽  
W. Kiowski ◽  
F. R. Bühler

1. Stressful sympathetic stimulation (cold pressor test) was applied to 18 patients with essential hypertension and 15 normotensive subjects. Intra-arterial blood pressure, heart rate, plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations as well as forearm blood flow were measured before and during the cold pressor test; tests were repeated after regional postsynaptic α1-adrenoceptor blockade with prazosin. 2. Under basal conditions mean blood pressure (P &lt; 0.001), heart rate (P &lt; 0.01), forearm blood flow (P &lt; 0.001) as well as adrenaline concentration (P &lt; 0.01), but not noradrenaline, was higher in patients with essential hypertension. 3. During the cold pressor test, mean blood pressure, heart rate, plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations increased and forearm flow decreased (all P &lt; 0.001). 4. Stress-stimulated plasma adrenaline was higher in essential hypertensive patients than in normotensive subjects (P &lt; 0.01). In the former the stress-induced increase in plasma adrenaline correlated with the increase in mean blood pressure (r = 0.514; P &lt; 0.05). 5. Prazosin increased forearm blood flow more in essential hypertension (P &lt; 0.001). This increase correlated with the resting plasma adrenaline in the hypertensive (r = 0.710; P &lt; 0.001), but not in normotensive, subjects. 6. When the cold pressor test was repeated during postsynaptic α1-adrenoceptor blockade forearm blood flow did not decrease; instead it increased further in both groups (P &lt; 0.05). 7. Thus in essential hypertension elevated plasma adrenaline concentration reflects sympathetic overactivity as also expressed by enhanced α-adrenoceptor-mediated vasoconstriction.


1983 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 599-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Tfelt-Hansen ◽  
I.-L. Kanstrup ◽  
N. J. Christensen ◽  
K. Winkler

1. The effect of intravenous ergotamine on general (blood pressure and cardiac output) and regional (splanchnic, renal and muscular) haemodynamics was studied immediately and 3 h after administration in seven male volunteers. Also plasma catecholamines were determined. 2. An increase in blood pressure with a peak just after administration was observed. The cardiac output was unchanged and the pressor effect of ergotamine was due to an increase in total peripheral resistance. 3. Plasma noradrenaline decreased 65% at the peak of the pressor effect whereas plasma adrenaline was unchanged. 4. Hepatic blood flow decreased 34% just after ergotamine administration and was normal after 3 h. Renal blood flow decreased by 29 and 19%. Calf blood flow was unchanged. These results suggest that different vascular beds in man react differently to ergotamine.


1961 ◽  
Vol 201 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel M. Bass ◽  
Vincent V. Glaviano

Heart rate, mean blood pressure, adrenal blood flow, and adrenal plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline were compared before and after ligation of the anterior descending coronary artery in dogs anesthetized with chloralose. One group of 12 dogs responded to acute coronary occlusion with a sudden and marked decrease in mean blood pressure (mean, 31%) and heart rate (mean, 18%) followed by an early onset (mean, 227 sec) of ventricular fibrillation. Another group of nine dogs responded with slight decreases in mean blood pressure (mean, 13%) and heart rate (mean, 5%), during which time ventricular fibrillation occurred late (mean, 30 min) or not at all. While the two groups were statistically different in mean blood pressure and heart rate, the minute output of adrenal catecholamines in either group was not found to be related to the early or late occurrence of ventricular fibrillation.


1979 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. A. Mengesha ◽  
G. H. Bell

Ten to fifteen healthy subjects, ages 18--30 yr, were used to assess the correlation of forearm blood flow with graded passive body tilts and vascular resistance and also to discern the relative effects of body tilts on finger blood flow. In the head-up tilts forearm blood flow and arterial blood pressure fell progressively, whereas forearm vascular resistance and pulse rate increased. In the head-down tilts the forearm blood flow and the arterial blood pressure increased, whereas the forearm vascular resistance and pulse rate decreased. These changes were found to be significantly correlated with the different tilt angles and with one another. In a preliminary study it was found that infrared heating of the carpometacarpal region produced finger vasodilatation similar to the forearm vasodilatation observed by Crockford and Hellon (6). However, unlike forearm blood flow, finger blood flow showed no appreciable response to either the head-up or head-down tilts. This indicates that the sympathetic tone and the volume of blood in the finger are not appreciably altered by this test procedure at least 1 min after the body tilt is assumed.


1998 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason W. Daniels ◽  
Paul A. Molé ◽  
James D. Shaffrath ◽  
Charles L. Stebbins

This study examined the acute effects of caffeine on the cardiovascular system during dynamic leg exercise. Ten trained, caffeine-naive cyclists (7 women and 3 men) were studied at rest and during bicycle ergometry before and after the ingestion of 6 mg/kg caffeine or 6 mg/kg fructose (placebo) with 250 ml of water. After consumption of caffeine or placebo, subjects either rested for 100 min (rest protocol) or rested for 45 min followed by 55 min of cycle ergometry at 65% of maximal oxygen consumption (exercise protocol). Measurement of mean arterial pressure (MAP), forearm blood flow (FBF), heart rate, skin temperature, and rectal temperature and calculation of forearm vascular conductance (FVC) were made at baseline and at 20-min intervals. Plasma ANG II was measured at baseline and at 60 min postingestion in the two exercise protocols. Before exercise, caffeine increased both systolic blood pressure (17%) and MAP (11%) without affecting FBF or FVC. During dynamic exercise, caffeine attenuated the increase in FBF (53%) and FVC (50%) and accentuated exercise-induced increases in ANG II (44%). Systolic blood pressure and MAP were also higher during exercise plus caffeine; however, these increases were secondary to the effects of caffeine on resting blood pressure. No significant differences were observed in heart rate, skin temperature, or rectal temperature. These findings indicate that caffeine can alter the cardiovascular response to dynamic exercise in a manner that may modify regional blood flow and conductance.


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