The Influence of Food Temperature on Postprandial Blood Pressure Reduction and Its Relation to Substance‐P in Healthy Elderly Subjects

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Abstract
Blood pressure (BP) in the elderly may decrease after a meal or oral glucose loading. The mechanism of this phenomenon is still unclear. In addition, the effect of the temperature of a meal on postprandial BP is unknown. However, it has been suggested that vasoactive gastrointestinal peptides are involved in the etiology of postprandial BP reduction. Therefore, we studied the effects of a cold and a warm glucose solution on BP, heart rate, plasma glucose, insulin, and substance‐P levels in 15 healthy elderly subjects with a mean age of 74 ± 3 (SD) years. With an interval of at least 2 days, a warm (50° C) and a cold (5° C) solution (75 g glucose/300 mL water) were given in random order. After the cold glucose loading mean arterial pressure increased by a maximum of 3.9 ± 1.3 mmHg (P < 0.01). In contrast, BP decreased after the warm solution by a maximum of 8.0 ± 1.1 mmHg (P < 0.001). Neither test had an influence on plasma substance‐P levels. Our data suggest that postprandial blood pressure reduction in the elderly is dependent on food temperature. Substance‐P does not seem to play a role in this phenomenon.