Bitter tastants alter gastric-phase postprandial haemodynamics

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Physiology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Bitter tastants have historical use in digestive disorders without a clear mechanism.
• Gentian root and wormwood herb are traditional European bitter agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if bitter tastants stimulate cephalic or gut receptors.
• To determine their effect on postprandial hemodynamics during digestion.

Main Methods:

• Participants ingested water with encapsulated or flavored bitter tastants (gentian, wormwood).
• Beat-to-beat cardiovascular recordings were analyzed for hemodynamic changes.
• Hemodynamic responses were compared to placebo-controlled water intake.

Main Results:

• Water intake alone increased cardiac contraction force and blood pressure.
• Encapsulated tastants showed no significant hemodynamic alterations.
• Flavored gentian and wormwood increased peripheral vascular resistance and decreased cardiac output.

Conclusions:

• Water intake induces a pressor effect during gastric digestion.
• Bitter tastants elicit an additional pressor response via increased peripheral vascular resistance.
• This response is a sympathetically-mediated cephalic-phase effect potentially aiding digestion.