Transfer function analysis of heart rate variability Correlated with gastric myoelectrical activity using a liquid nutritional meal compared to water: Are They different?

We aimed to investigate difference in the effects of water and a liquid nutritional meal on the parasympathetic and gastric myoelectrical activities. The study was a repeated-measures design in which each subject was presented with 500 ml of water and a liquid nutritional meal (Ensure ^®) on two separate and random sessions. The electrogastrography (EGG) and electrocardiogram were simultaneously recorded in 16 healthy subjects. There were no significant changes in the EGG-3 cycle per minute (cpm) power, any HRV variable, or the transfer function magnitude after Ensure ^® intake. Water ingestion resulted in a significant increase in both the EGG-3 cpm power and the transfer magnitude compared to Ensure ^® intake (P < 0.05). The effects of water and Ensure ^® on the parasympathetic and gastric electric activities are different, in which the latter is less likely to provoke an autonomic response after gastric stimulation.