Assessment of Post-Prandial Effects of a Fast-Food Meal on Inflammatory Markers

现在很明显，高水平的炎症标志物与一些严重的健康问题直接相关，包括心脏病、糖尿病和肥胖。常规的饮食选择可以影响炎症标志物的水平，尽管我们不确定不同的食物和不同的脂肪来源是如何影响这些标志物的。在美国，很多人经常去快餐店吃饭。一般来说，快餐的饱和脂肪含量高，单一不饱和脂肪含量低。即使是“更健康”的选择，如水果和蔬菜沙拉，也含有富含饱和脂肪的调味品。饱和脂肪与高胆固醇水平有关；然而，单不饱和脂肪被认为有助于降低胆固醇水平。

It is now evident that high levels of inflammatory markers are directly related to several serious health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Regular dietary choices can influence levels of inflammatory markers, although we do not know for certain how various foods and different fat sources actually affect these markers. In the United States, a large number of people eat at fast food restaurants regularly. 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; whereas, mono-unsaturated fat is thought to contribute to lower cholesterol levels. The purpose of this study is to determine the acute effect of eating a fast food meal high in saturated fat and whether it results in greater increases in inflammatory markers and declines in testosterone 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 were given an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), a meal rich in saturated fat (similar to a fast food) and a meal rich in unsaturated fat (healthy fat). Blood samples were collected at regular intervals over 24 hours following the meal or OGTT to investigate the different effects of these interventions on circulating lipids, markers of oxidative stress, inflammation and testosterone. Analyses are designed to evalute the acute connection between diet and risk factors for atherosclerosis focusing on inflammatory markers in particular. Data collection has been completed, with 30 subjects enrolled in the study, and all study samples collected. Data on levels of fractionated lipids, pro-inflammatory cytokines, inflammatory markers, markers of oxidative stress and testosterone has been received and preliminary data analyses have been conducted.