Gender difference in the gastric emptying measured by magnetogastrography using a semi-solid test meal

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Physiology

Background:

• Previous studies on gender differences in gastric emptying often used invasive methods or focused on solid/liquid meals.
• Limited research exists on gender-specific gastric emptying of semi-solid meals using non-invasive techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gender-related differences in gastric emptying half-time and peristaltic contraction frequency.
• To evaluate the utility of magnetogastrography (MGG) for assessing these differences with a semi-solid meal.

Main Methods:

• 16 healthy subjects (8 male, 8 female) participated.
• A semi-solid test meal (250 ml yogurt with 3g magnetite) was administered.
• Gastric emptying and peristaltic contractions were measured using magnetogastrography (MGG).

Main Results:

• Gastric emptying half-times were 32.3 ± 10.8 min for men and 36.0 ± 6.7 min for women.
• Magnetogastrography proved effective for measuring gastric emptying and peristaltic frequency without side effects.
• A statistically significant gender difference (p<0.05) in gastric emptying was observed.

Conclusions:

• Magnetogastrography is a feasible and non-invasive method for analyzing gender differences in gastric emptying.
• The study demonstrated gender-specific variations in gastric emptying half-time for semi-solid meals.