Effect of meal composition and sham feeding on duodenojejunal motility in humans

The disruptive effect of meals of different fat content and caloric value and of sham feeding on the interdigestive migrating motor complex (IDMMC) was studied in eight healthy subjects using an ambulatory recording system that allowed continuous monitoring of small bowel motility for three consecutive days. The durations of fed pattern were not significantly different between meals of 800 kcal/50% fat, 400 kcal/50% fat, and 800 kcal/25% fat, but were significantly longer compared to IDMMC cycle length and sham feeding. The latter two were not significantly different. On a separate day, five subjects consumed a meal of 400 kcal/9% fat and a second one of 800 kcal/50% fat. The duration of the fed pattern following the high fat meal was significantly longer than the low fat one. Sham feeding significantly increased plasma concentrations of gastrin and neurotensin (NT), but did not affect those of cholecystokinin (CCK), insulin, and peptide YY (PYY). The various variables of the IDMMC were not different during the two nights of the study, and velocity of migration of phase III during the first day and both nights was similar. We conclude that the duration of the fed pattern depends, in part, on the composition of the meal. Sham feeding, resulting in an increase in both plasma gastrin and NT concentrations, does not disrupt the IDMMC. When using thin probes, IDMMC is stable during prolonged recording.