Effect of food intake on the metabolic clearance rate of aldosterone

The effect of eating on the metabolic clearance rate (MCR) of aldosterone was investigated in 10 adult individuals,³H-aldosterone was infused continuously over a period of 5 h while the subjects remained supine. Three h after the start of the infusion, each subject ate a bowl of soup. The MCR of aldosterone, before and after the intake of food, was calculated by dividing the rate of infusion of³H-aldosterone by the mean concentration of 3H-aldosterone during these two periods. The MCR of 11 subjects was measured under the same conditions but without eating. The MCR of aldosterone (mean + 1 SD) was 1284 + 513 L/24 h before food intake and 2182 + 180 L/24 h after food intake in the 10 individuals who ate. The MCR in the 11 subjects who did not eat was 1363 + 446 and 1357 + 434 during the same periods (p>0.05). The 29% increase in the MCR induced by eating was highly significant (p< 0.001); it was similar in magnitude and duration to a previously reported effect of food intake on the hepatic blood flow (13).