Assessment of Post-Prandial Effects of a Fast-Food Meal

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It is now evident that high levels of inflammatory markers (which are measured in our bloodstream) are directly related to several serious health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Our regular dietary choices can influence the levels of inflammatory markers, but at this point, we do now know for certain how the various foods and different fat sources we eat actually affect inflammatory markers. In the United States, a large number of people eat at fast food restaurants regularly, for some, daily. In general, fast food tends to be high in saturated fats and low in mono-unsaturated fats. Even "healthier" choices, such as fruit and vegetable salads are served with dressings loaded with saturated fats. Saturated fat is associated with high cholesterol levels and mono-unsaturated fat is thought to contribute to lower cholesterol levels. The purpose of this research study is to determine whether eating a fast food meal (high in saturated fat) will result in greater increases in inflammatory markers than eating a meal with low levels of saturated fat and higher levels of mono-unsaturated fat. This study is a first step in learning about how dietary fat intake can directly impact risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Over three days, separated by three-day intervals, healthy adult individuals will receive an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), a meal rich of saturated fat (similar to a fast food) and a meal rich in unsaturated fat (healthy fat). Blood samples will be collected at regular intervals over the 24 hours after the meal (or oral glucose) to investigate the different effect of these interventions of circulating lipids and markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. The findings of these study attempt to create a connection between diet and risk of atherosclerosis that is relative indipendent of circulating lipids but rather focus on inflammation.