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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Davis, California » Western Human Nutrition Research Center » Obesity and Metabolism Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #355675
Title: Plasma fatty acid ethanolamides are associated with postprandial triglycerides, ApoCIII and ApoE in humans consuming high fructose corn syrup-sweetened beverage

Author
item PRICE, CANDICE - University Of California, Davis
item ARGUETA, DONOVAN - University Of California
item MEDICI, VALENTINA - University Of California, Davis
item BREMER, ANDREW - University Of California, Davis
item LEE, VIVIEN - University Of California, Davis
item NUNEZ, MARINELLE - University Of California, Davis
item CHEN, GUAXIA - University Of California, Davis
item Keim, Nancy
item HAVEL, PETER - University Of California, Davis
item STANHOPE, KIMBER - University Of California, Davis
item DIPATRIZIO, NICHOLAS - University Of California

Submitted to: American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/29/2018
Publication Date: 4/10/2018
Citation: Price, C.A., Argueta, D.A., Medici, V., Bremer, A.A., Lee, V., Nunez, M.V., Chen, G.X., Keim, N.L., Havel, P.J., Stanhope, K.L., Dipatrizio, N.V. 2018. Plasma fatty acid ethanolamides are associated with postprandial triglycerides, ApoCIII and ApoE in humans consuming high fructose corn syrup-sweetened beverage. American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism. 315(2):E141-E149. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00406.2017.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00406.2017

Interpretive Summary: Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in large amounts is known to increase obesity and risk of cardiovascular disease, such as increased triglyceride levels following meals. However, less is known about the biological processes that contribute to this phenomenon. In this study beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or aspartame were consumed by adults daily for two weeks, and lipid signaling molecules called endocannabinoids were measured in blood. These signaling molecules have been associated with changes in food intake, weight gain, and lipid metabolism. The results revealed that the lipid signaling molecules did not increase or decrease in the group consuming the HFCS, but there were clear associations between the lipid signaling molecules and the levels of triglycerides circulating in the blood throughout the day. These findings are the first report to demonstrate that there is a clear relationship between lipid signaling molecules and lipid metabolism in humans consuming sugar sweetened beverages and suggest that these signaling molecules may play a role in the increased cardiovascular risk observed in response to consuming large amounts of HFCS beverages.

Technical Abstract: Epidemiological and clinical research studies have provided ample evidence demonstrating that increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) increases risk factors involved in the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Our previous study demonstrated that compared to aspartame (Asp), two weeks of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-sweetened beverages provided at 25% of daily energy requirement (Ereq) increased body weight, postprandial triglycerides (TG), and fasting and postprandial CVD risk factors in human subjects. The fatty acid ethanolamide, anandamide (AEA), and the monoacylglycerol, 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (2-AG), are two primary endocannabinoids (ECs) that play a role in regulating food intake and energy metabolism. Therefore, we measured ECs and their fatty acid ethanolamide analogs, oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and docosahexaenoyl ethanolamide (DHEA), and monoacylglycerol, docosahexaenoyl glycerol (DHAG), in plasma from human subjects to determine if their levels were associated with weight gain and increased CVD risk factors previously observed. Two-week exposure to HFCS did not induce any changes in circulating ECs and their congeners; however, there was a significant difference between changes in DHEA levels when comparing Asp and HFCS groups pre and post testing. Subjects that consumed Asp showed a reduction in AEA, OEA and DHEA. On the contrary, those consuming HFCS showed significant relationships between AEA and OEA, and postprandial TG, ApoCIII and ApoE; these relationships were not present in those consuming Asp. Our findings suggest enhanced peripheral EC tissue responsivity to HFCS-sweetened beverage may be one mechanism through which HFCS induces dyslipidemia.