The Effect of an Ordinary Meal on the Electrocardiogram. Normal Standards in Middle-Aged Men and Women

Abstract

In previous studies on young men it was found that definite changes in the electrocardiogram are produced by an ordinary meal. This work has been extended with a larger series of older men and women. In general, the results confirm the previous studies but an age trend was found in some items. The combined material allowed an analysis of the correlations between the changes in the various items of measurement and more detailed consideration of the physiologic mechanisms involved. Normal fiducial limits for the changes induced by a meal were calculated to provide a basis of discrimination between normal and abnormal responses.