Nutrient and bowel segment dependency of human intestinal control of gastric secretion

The gastric secretory effects of protein, fat, and carbohydrate infused at different levels of the small bowel were investigated in seven healthy subjects. Similar caloric loads (53.4 kcal) of protein (essential amino acids), lipid (oleic acid), and carbohydrate (glucose) in isomolar (280 mosmol/l) similar pH (7.4) solutions were infused into 60-cm segments of small bowel (isolated between two occlusive balloons), located distal to the ligament of Treitz (proximal), proximal to the ileocecal valve (distal), and between the two (middle). A submaximal gastric secretory background was provided by continuous intravenous pentagastrin. Protein stimulated acid secretion in the proximal (increase of 8.7 meq/h, representing 84 +/- 5% of control level) and middle (increase of 1.9 meq/h, representing 16 +/- 2% of control level) segments, while it inhibited acid secretion when infused into the distal segment (decrease of 3.7 meq/h, representing 33 +/- 4% of control level). In contrast, both lipid and carbohydrate inhibited acid secretion similarly (33-38% of control level) at all levels of the bowel. The different effects of protein at different levels of the bowel could not be explained by differences in serum gastrin, different degrees of absorption, or different postabsorptive levels of alpha-amino nitrogen. This suggests the presence of hormonal (nongastrin) or neural mechanisms in the proximal bowel to stimulate acid secretion and/or in the distal bowel to inhibit acid secretion. Thus, factors that determine specific nutrient loads to specific segments of bowel can have important physiological effects on gastric acid secretion.