Postprandial reduction in systolic blood pressure may predispose some elderly people to symptomatic hypotension leading to syncope and falls.
An effective drug in preventing postprandial hypotension is the somatostatin analogue, octreotide, a synthetic, long-acting peptide-release inhibitor.
However, there was no difference in the 60-min postprandial residual gall bladder volumes in the two groups.
Patients should be fasted for two hours prior to the procedure to avoid the effects of postprandial hypotension, and then rested supine for 20-45 minutes.
Strongly tied to the latter is the presence of hyperinsulinaemia and impaired glucose metabolism, manifesting as elevated serum glucose concentrations in the fasting and postprandial state.
Caffeine has been reported anecdotally to effectively improve postprandial hypotensive symptoms, but clinical trials have proved inconclusive.
Since tryptophan competes with other amino acids for access to the brain, increased postprandial insulin secretion results in increased brain levels of tryptophan, thereby facilitating brain serotonin synthesis.
Enhanced insulin secretion diminishes glucose toxicity and improves insulin secretion after meals, thus reducing postprandial hyperglycemia.
