A high-fat meal impairs muscle vasodilatation response to mental stress in humans with Glu27 β2-adrenoceptor polymorphism

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Forearm blood flow responses during mental stress are greater in individuals homozygous for the Glu27 allele. A high-fat meal is associated with impaired endothelium-dependent dilatation. We investigated the impact of high-fat ingestion on the muscle vasodilatory responses during mental stress in individuals with the Glu27 allele and those with the Gln27 allele of the β₂-adrenoceptor gene.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 162 preselected individuals were genotyped for the Glu27Gln β₂-adrenoceptor polymorphism. Twenty-four individuals participated in the study. Fourteen were homozygous for the Gln27 allele (Gln27Gln, 40 ± 2 years; 64 ± 2 kg), and 10 were homozygous for the Glu27 allele (Glu27Glu, 40 ± 3 years; 65 ± 3 kg). Forearm blood flow was evaluated by venous occlusion plethysmography before and after ingestion of 62 g of fat.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The high-fat meal caused no changes in baseline forearm vascular conductance (FVC, 2.2 ± 0.1 vs. 2.4 ± 0.2; <it>P </it>= 0.27, respectively), but reduced FVC responses to mental stress (1.5 ± 0.2 vs. 0.8 ± 0.2 units; <it>P </it>= 0.04). When volunteers were divided according to their genotypes, baseline FVC was not different between groups (Glu27Glu = 2.4 ± 0.1 vs. Gln27Gln = 2.1 ± 0.1 units; <it>P </it>= 0.08), but it was significantly greater in Glu27Glu individuals during mental stress (1.9 ± 0.4 vs. 1.0 ± 0.3 units; <it>P </it>= 0.04). High-fat intake eliminated the difference in FVC responses between Glu27Glu and Gln27Gln individuals (FVC, 1.3 ± 0.4 vs. 1.2 ± 0.4; <it>P </it>= 0.66, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings demonstrate that a high-fat meal impairs muscle vasodilatation responses to mental stress in humans. However, this reduction can be attributed to the presence of the homozygous Glu27 allele of the β₂-adrenoceptor gene.</p