The Effect of Meals Containing Culinary Doses of Spices on Postprandial Endothelial Function, Lipemia and Glycemia: A Randomized, Crossover, Controlled-Feeding Study

Abstract

ObjectivesThe objective was to examine the effect of meals containing 0.6 g (low-spice meal), 3.7 g (moderate-spice meal), and 7.4 g (high-spice meal) of herbs/spices on postprandial flow mediated dilation (FMD), triglycerides, insulin and glucose in men and post-menopausal women at-risk for cardiovascular disease. MethodsA 3-period, randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding study was conducted. Participants consumed an average American diet containing 0.5 (low-spice diet), 3.3 (moderate-spice diet), and 6.6 (high-spice diet) g/d/2100 kcal of herbs and spices for 4-weeks. At baseline and the end of each diet period, participants were given a meal challenge (1192 kcal; carbohydrate 145 g; protein 62 g; fat 44 g; saturated fat 20 g). The spice dose in the test meal corresponded to the spice level of the diet consumed for the previous 4 weeks. Blood was sampled at 0, 30, 60, 120, 180, 240 minutes for analysis of triglycerides, glucose, and insulin. FMD was measured at 0,120 and 240 minutes. ResultsThe analytic sample included 43 participants (males 65%; age 48 ± 11 years; BMI 28.9 ± 2.9 kg/m2, FMD 6.2 ± 2.3%). No between-meal differences were observed for FMD (meal P = 0.30; time P < 0.001; meal by time interaction P > 0.99). The area under the curve for triglycerides (P = 0.39), glucose (P = 0.49) and insulin (P = 0.07) was not different between the meals. ConclusionsFollowing intake of an average American diet with three different doses of spices (0.5, 3.3 and 6.6 g/d/2100 kcal) for 4-weeks, FMD, triglyceride, glucose and insulin responses to meals containing 0.6 g, 3.7 g and 7.4 g of spices were not different. These findings suggest that following 4-weeks of exposure to spice-containing diets, spice exposure from a meal does not dose-dependently affect endothelial function, lipemia and glucose homeostasis in the 4-hours post meal. Funding SourcesMcCormick Science Institute; National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grant UL1 TR002014.