Postprandial metabolic response to a fat- and carbohydrate-rich meal in patients with chronic kidney disease

Background. While chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with dysmetabolism including a marked insulin resistance, the postprandial response has not comprehensively been studied in CKD patients.Methods. We conducted an intervention study comparing fasting and postprandial circulating biomarkers of glucose and lipid homeostasis, incretins, anabolic hormones, inflammation and oxidative stress in nine prevalent non-diabetic hemodialysis (HD) patients and 10 matched controls assessed after a standardized meal consisting of 75 g of milk fat, 80 g of carbohydrates and 6 g of proteins/m² of body surface area.Results. Glucose and triglyceride increased in a similar manner following the meal, while insulin, C-peptide and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide increased more in HD patients. HDL and LDL cholesterol decreased slightly with no significant difference between the groups. The elevated baseline growth hormone (GH) in patients dropped, resulting in comparable levels in both groups 240 min after the meal; however, there was no change in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels. No marked changes of interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor-α were observed in either group. An elevation in the DNA oxidative product 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine was observed in HD patients.Conclusions. The postprandial state in CKD is characterized by impaired insulin sensitivity with increased incretin levels, along with GH/IGF-1 axis uncoupling and an elevation in an oxidative stress marker.