Small bowel motor activity in response to physiological meals of different chemical composition in man

Meals disrupt the interdigestive pattern of small bowel motor activity and convert it into the more irregular postprandial pattern. Previous animal studies suggest that the duration of and contractile activity within the postprandial period depend on the chemical composition of a meal. It is not clear whether this is also true for man. In 8 healthy volunteers I investigated how physiological and isocaloric meals of different chemical composition affect small bowel motor activity. Volunteers underwent two separate, ambulatory 24-hour small bowel manometry studies. Volunteers had a total of four meals on the two study days. They ingested two identical fish meals rich in protein, a pasta meal rich in carbohydrates, and a meat meal rich in fat. Records were analyzed visually for the reappearance of phase III of the migrating motor complex, and a validated computer program calculated the incidence of contractions during the postprandial period, as well as the amplitude and propagation of contractions. The durations of the postprandial periods were similar after the two protein meals (238 +/- 35 and 227 +/- 25 min), the carbohydrate (220 +/- 23 min) and the fat meal (242 +/- 43 min). The incidence of contractions was not significantly different after the protein meals (1.6 +/- 0.3 and 1.0 +/- 0.2 contractions per min), the carbohydrate meal (1.0 +/- 0.2 contractions per min) and the fat meal (1.5 +/- 0.2 contractions per min). The amplitude of contractions was similar after the protein meals (14 +/- 0.1 and 13 +/- 0.1 mmHg), the carbohydrate meal (14 +/- 0.1 mmHg) and the fat meal (14 +/- 0.1 mmHg). Propagation of contractions was similar after the protein meals (13 +/- 3 and 18 +/- 3 %), after the carbohydrate meal (15 +/- 2 %) and after the fat meal (13 +/- 2 %). Contractile activity within consecutive 30-min periods of the postprandial period was also not different between the meals. I conclude that physiological, isocaloric meals of different chemical composition elicit a similar postprandial motor response in the human small bowel.