PWSA (USA) Research Grant Approved Dec. 2005
“Impact of Dietary Content upon Gastrointestinal Motility in Individuals with PWS”
(Drs. Wm. Klish and Ann Scheimann) Baylor College of Medicine, TX

Meals that contain large amounts of carbohydrates and can quickly raise blood sugar levels (high glycemic index meals) are known to increase appetite. On the other hand, meals that contain large amounts of fats are known to slow down how quickly the stomach empties into the intestine. This slows the breakdown of carbohydrates and absorption of sugars and keeps blood sugar levels relatively lower. In PWS, this delayed gastric empting may relate to gastroparesis, in which the stomach stretches with food that accumulates because of ineffective stomach contractions (when severe, this can lead to stomach rupture).
Dr. Klish’s team, headed by Dr. Ann O. Scheimann, will study how quickly meals with varying fat and carbohydrate content exit the stomachs of people with PWS, the gut hormone responses to meal content and the relationship of the type of meal to how full that person feels after eating. In addition, blood tests before and after each meal will help check the relationship of ghrelin and other gastrointestinal peptides to stomach emptying. This grant will further our understanding of the signals that make a person with PWS feel hungry or full and may alert parents and medical providers to a dietary component to gastroparesis, and potentially, to gastric perforation.

edited:03/23/2010