Role of cognitive factors in symptom induction following high and low fat meals in patients with functional dyspepsia

Background and aims: Dietary fat plays a role in the pathophysiology of symptoms in functional dyspepsia (FD). In healthy subjects, cognitive factors enhance postprandial fullness; in FD patients, attention increases gut perception. We hypothesised that the information given to patients about the fat content of a meal would affect dyspeptic symptoms. Methods: Fifteen FD patients were each studied on four occasions in a randomised double blind fashion. Over two days they ingested a high fat yoghurt (HF) and over the other two days a low fat yoghurt (LF). For each yoghurt, the patients received the correct information about its fat content on one day (HF-C, LF-C) and the opposite ( wrong) information on the other day (HF-W, LF-W). Dyspeptic symptoms, plasma cholecystokinin (CCK) concentrations, and gastric volumes were evaluated. Results: Both the fat content and information about the fat content affected fullness and bloating scores both were higher after HF-C compared with LF-C, and LF-W compared with LF-C, with no differences between HF-C and HF-W. Nausea scores were higher after HF compared with LF, with no effect of the information about fat content. No differences between discomfort and pain scores were found between study conditions. Plasma CCK and gastric volumes were greater following HF compared with LF, with no effect of the information given to the patients. All differences are p< 0.05. Conclusions: Cognitive factors contribute to symptom induction in FD. Low fat foods may also elicit symptoms if patients perceive foods as high in fat, while CCK and gastric volumes do not appear to be affected by cognitive factors.