Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 63, Issue 5 1862-1865, Copyright © 1987 by American Physiological Society
Autonomic nervous control of postprandial hemodynamic changes at rest and upright exercise
H. Kelbaek, O. Munck, N. J. Christensen and J. Godtfredsen
Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Herlev Hospital, Denmark.
Postprandial hemodynamic changes were studied in healthy subjects at rest
and during exercise in the upright position with and without autonomic
blockade of the heart. At rest cardiac output increased 61% mostly because
of a stroke volume increase accomplished by left ventricular end-diastolic
dilation. These changes seemed to be dependent on the autonomic nervous
system, whereas the postprandial heart rate increase did not. During
exercise cardiac output was 23% higher after food intake due to a rise in
both stroke volume and heart rate. These changes were apparently under
influence of the autonomic nervous system, whereas left ventricular
dilation was not. The present findings indicate that most of the
postprandial changes in the central circulation are under control of the
autonomic nervous system.
