Sham feeding disrupts the interdigestive motility complex in man.

We have examined the effect of sham feeding on the interdigestive motility complex (IDMC) and the release of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) in a group of normal volunteers. The duration of the intervals in phase III of the IDMC was significantly delayed (p less than 0.01) after sham feeding, whereas there was an increase in plasma PP levels in all subjects. These results support the presence of an inhibitory vagal mechanism for the distal stomach and intestinal motility.