Abstract
Background and aim: The type and amount of dietary protein has become a topic of renewed interest in light of their involvement in metabolic diseases, atherosclerosis and thrombosis. However, little attention has been devoted to the effect of avian proteins despite their wide human consumption. The aim was to investigate the influence of chicken and turkey as sources of protein compared with that of soybean on atherosclerosis and fatty liver disease. Methods and results: To this purpose, male and female Apoe-deficient were fed purified Western diets differing in their protein sources for 12 weeks. After this period, blood, liver, aortic tree and heart base samples were taken for analyses of plasma lipids and atherosclerosis. Plasma triglycerides, non-esterified fatty acids, esterified cholesterol levels and radical oxygen species in lipoproteins changed depending on the diet and sex. Females consuming the turkey protein-containing diet showed decreased atherosclerotic foci, as evidenced by the en face atherosclerosis analyses. The presence of macrophages and smooth muscle cells in plaques were not modified, and no changes were observed in hepatic lipid droplets in the studied groups either. Paraoxonase activity was higher in the group consuming turkey protein without sex differences, but only in females, it was significantly associated with aortic lesion areas. Conclusions: Compared to soybean protein, the consumption of avian proteins depending on sex resulted in similar or lower atherosclerosis development and comparable hepatic steatosis.
Highlights
The ingested dietary protein is a crucial target related to several diseases
PON1 activity was significantly higher in the group consuming turkey protein without sex differences
Our results clearly indicate that sex should be taking into consideration since plasma parameters such as triglycerides, non-esterified cholesterol levels and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in lipoproteins experienced significant different responses according to sources of protein and the changes were even observed with a lower protein supply (11.2% of the current study)
Summary
The ingested dietary protein is a crucial target related to several diseases. US government dietary guidelines recommend a protein intake between 10 and 35% of the total caloric value (TCV) for maintenance and growth, with a current consumption of the population around 16% of TCV [1]. It is important to note that not all the ingested protein is absorbed, and that proteins are composed of 20 amino acids, 9 of which are essentials in humans and other animals, and must be obtained directly from the diet. For this reason, a suitable proportion and amount of every essential amino acid for a well-balanced diet is important. Knowing the proportion of available amino acid of protein source is crucial to fulfil the different physiological requirements for maintenance and/or growth and according to each species [3,4]
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