Patients who drink a specific carbohydrate solution two hours before gallbladder surgery show higher levels of noradrenaline in their blood 24 hours after surgery compared to those who do not.
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Eating a sugary drink before surgery tells the body it has enough energy, so it stops releasing some stress hormones. But during surgery, the nervous system still reacts strongly and releases more noradrenaline later on—especially after a full day—possibly because the body is trying to keep energy...
Most probable mechanism
Eating a sugary drink before surgery tricks the body into thinking it has enough energy, which calms down some stress systems, but it also causes the nervous system to release more of a chemical called noradrenaline after surgery, possibly because the body is trying to balance energy use during the stress of surgery.
Oral ingestion of maltodextrin is rapidly broken down into glucose, increasing circulating glucose availability without causing hyperglycemia.
Elevated glucose and improved insulin sensitivity reduce the hypothalamic drive for gluconeogenesis and suppress activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, leading to decreased cortisol production.
Despite reduced HPA axis activity, surgical stress triggers sustained sympathetic nervous system activation, with increased noradrenaline release from adrenal medulla and sympathetic nerve terminals.
The metabolic stability provided by preoperative carbohydrate may delay or alter the timing of sympathetic compensation, resulting in a delayed but amplified noradrenaline surge at 24 hours postoperatively.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Contradicting (0)
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