Why the study?
Does eating food (postprandial state) affect exercise capability and cardiovascular hemodynamics in frail elderly patients recovering from stroke compared to water only?
Does eating food (postprandial state) affect exercise capability and cardiovascular hemodynamics in frail elderly patients recovering from stroke compared to water only?
Postprandial hypotension after food does not reduce exercise capability in frail elderly stroke patients, likely due to a compensatory increase in heart rate maintaining cardiac output.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Postprandial hypotension does not impair exercise capacity in frail elderly stroke survivors; confirms compensatory heart rate response preserves output during recovery.
A total of 15 elderly patients recovering from stroke were included in a random, observer-blind, crossover trial to investigate the effects of postprandial cardiovascular changes. Exercise capability, sitting and erect blood pressure and heart rate were recorded pre- and postprandially; a control group received water only. Exercise capability decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in the control group, but not in the test group. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the erect position post-exercise were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in the test group 15 min after eating; in the control group there was no significant change. A significant (P < 0.05) increase in heart rate in the erect position was seen postprandially in the test group after exercise, but not in the control group. All other changes recorded did not reach statistical significance. No reduction in exercise capability occurred in patients exhibiting postprandial hypotension after food, as simultaneous increases in heart rate probably resulted in output being maintained.
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Farnsworth et al. (1994) studied this question.
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