A single, high-fat meal adversely affects postprandial endothelial function: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of human intervention studies
PubMed 35665799 · doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqac153
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 6 databases through January 2022 evaluated the quantitative effects of a single high-fat meal on endothelial function. Eligible studies assessed fasting and postprandial flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Meta-regression was used to analyze the effect of moderator variables.
What was found
Across 131 included studies (90 suitable for quantitative meta-analysis), a single high-fat meal significantly decreased postprandial FMD at: - 2 hours: -1.02 percentage points (pp) (95% CI: -1.34 to -0.70 pp; P < 0.01; I2 = 93.3%) - 3 hours: -1.04 pp (95% CI: -1.48 to -0.59 pp; P < 0.001; I2 = 84.5%) - 4 hours: -1.19 pp (95% CI: -1.53 to -0.84 pp; P < 0.01; I2 = 94.6%) Younger, healthy-weight participants showed greater postprandial FMD reductions than older, heavier, at-risk groups (P < 0.05). Meal fat percentage was inversely associated with the magnitude of postprandial FMD changes at 3 hours (P < 0.01).
Why it matters
This review quantifies the acute transient impairment of endothelial function (~1.0 to 1.2 percentage points drop in FMD) following a single high-fat meal, highlighting fasting FMD, age, BMI, and meal fat content as key moderators.
Limits
There was very high statistical heterogeneity across all time points (I2 from 84.5% to 94.6%). Total participant count is not reported in the abstract, and long-term clinical vascular outcomes were not evaluated.
Cited by
- supports Fat consumption acutely impairs flow-mediated dilation after a meal.