Extra-abdominal pressure alters food intake, intragastric pressure, and gastric emptying rate

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Abstract
Compression of the animal stomach gives rise to vagal discharges that could signal satiety. To test a noninvasive method of inducing compression of the human stomach, we first employed extra-abdominal pressure levels of 0, 10, and 20 Torr, counterbalanced for sequence, in six lean and obese subjects. A large blood pressure cuff was wrapped around the abdomen of the subject with the air bladder over the epigastrium. The bladder was inflated before ingestion of a liquid meal by the subject until satiated. Relative to 0 Torr, pressures of 10 and 20 Torr significantly reduced spontaneous food intake (P< 0.03) without producing discomfort. In a second study, extra-abdominal pressure of 20 Torr also raised intragastric pressure by a mean of 5.5 Torr (P < 0.03). In a third study, extra-abdominal pressure of 20 Torr did not alter gastric emptying rate during meal ingestion but ultimately enhanced emptying rate when this pressure was maintained for < 100 min after meal completion (P < 0.01).