Cardiovascular injury in the metabolic syndrome induced by chronic cola drinking

TRITTO I; ZUCHI C; SANTUCCI A; SORBO S; PIETROPAOLO F; J MILEI; GOMEZ LLAMBI H; DR GRANA; G OTTAVIANO; N PAGLIA; G AMBROSIO

Perugia

Congreso; 11°Congreso Nazionale della societe italiana per la prevenzione cardiovascolares; 2013

CARDIOVascular injury in the metabolic syndrome induced by Chronic cola drinking   Isabella Tritto*, MD, Cinzia Zuchi*, MD, Andrea Santucci*, MD, Sofia Elena Sorbo*, BS, Francesca Pietropaolo*, MD, Josè Milei**, MD, Hernán Gómez Llambi**, MD, Matilde E. Otero-Losada**, PhD, Graciela Ottaviano**, BS, Nora Paglia**, DVM, Giuseppe Ambrosio*, MD, PhD. *Cardiologia e Fisiopatologia Cardiovascolare, Università di Perugia, Perugia;  **Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires (Argentina).   Tel: 075-5782394; fax: 075-5271244; email: isabella.tritto@ospedale.perugia.it   AIM: Consumption of soft drinks has been linked to metabolic syndrome in humans. However, in spite of much experimental data with fructose-enriched diets, little is known on the effects of cola beverage, in man or in animal models. We studied the effects of chronic drinking of sucrose-sweetened beverages on metabolic and echocardiographic parameters. Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided in 3 groups (n=8 each) allowed to drink ad libitum for 6 months, either: tap water (Control, C); Coca-cola (K), or  light coke (L). Both commercially available drinks had the same amount of phosphoric acid, caramel, caffeine, and sodium; K contained also sucrose (11 g/100 ml), L was sweetened with aspartame. At baseline and at weeks 4, 8, 12 and 24, we measured blood levels of glucose, triglycerides, and HDL-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and left ventricular (LV) dimensions (M-mode echo). Results: After 6 months, K weighed 686±21 g, vs 617±50 (C) and 631±43 (L) (p<0.05) and showed SBP of 145±11 mmHg, vs 137±7 and 135±8, respectively (p<0.05). Plasma glucose was 149±16 mg/dl (K) vs 119±14 (C) and 115±7 (L) (p<0.001); triglycerides were 183±87 mg/dl (K) vs 73±26 (C) and 85±34 (L) (p<0.01); plasma HDL-Cholesterol showed no differences among groups. LV diastolic diameter was 6.78±0.35 mm (C) vs 7.46±0.3 (K; p<0.05), and vs 7.1±0.55 (L; ns). LV wall thickness was 0.42±0.03, 0.37±0.03, and 0.38±0.03 mm (C vs K and L, p<0.05). LV diastolic volume (ml) was 0.27±0.04 (C) vs 0.35±0.04 (K; p<0.01); and vs 0.3±0.07 (L; ns). Cardiac output (ml/min) was 113.96±22.8 in C vs 161.15±28.87 in K (p<0.01), vs 129.85±38.09 in L (ns). Conclusions: In rats, chronic consumption of coke affects body weight, SBP, glucose, and tryglicerides, reproducing most of the features of metabolic syndrome; animals also showed LV dilatation and remodeling. These deleterious effects were not seen in animals drinking light coke, indicating that they were largely due to the high calorie intake from sucrose.