Abstract
Large quantities of protein-rich cod residuals, which are currently discarded, could be utilized for human consumption. Although fish fillet intake is related to beneficial health effects, little is known about the potential health effects of consuming cod residual protein powder. Fifty lean adults were randomized to consume capsules with 8.1 g/day of cod residual protein (Cod-RP) or placebo capsules (Control group) for eight weeks, in this randomized, double-blind study. The intervention was completed by 40 participants. Fasting glucose and insulin concentrations were unaffected by Cod-RP supplementation, whereas plasma concentrations of α-hydroxybutyrate, β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate all were decreased compared with the Control group. Trimethylamine N-oxide concentration in plasma and urine were increased in the Cod-RP group compared with the Control group. To conclude, the reduction in these potential early markers of impaired glucose metabolism following Cod-RP supplementation may indicate beneficial glucoregulatory effects of cod residual proteins. Trimethylamine N-oxide appears to be an appropriate biomarker of cod residual protein intake in lean adults.
Highlights
Fish intake is associated with beneficial effects on risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease [1,2,3,4,5,6,7], and these effects have mainly been attributed to the content of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) in fish [8]
The current study aimed to investigate the effects of cod residual protein supplementation on circulating markers related to glucose regulation, and potential biomarkers of cod residual protein intake
The significant reduction in circulating α-HB concentration in the cod residual protein (Cod-RP) group compared with the Control group suggests that cod residual supplementation may have beneficial effects on glucose regulation, as the concentration of this metabolite is shown to increase under conditions of impaired glucose tolerance [16,17,19]
Summary
Fish intake is associated with beneficial effects on risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease [1,2,3,4,5,6,7], and these effects have mainly been attributed to the content of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) in fish [8]. Underlying mechanisms are still unclear, several studies have shown that lean fish may improve insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation, despite containing very low amounts of long-chain n-3 PUFA [9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. Other markers of glucose regulation that may be more sensitive to detecting small regulatory changes, other than fasting glucose and insulin concentrations, should be explored. Studies have shown that metabolites of fatty acid β-oxidation and ketogenic amino acid catabolism, such as α-hydroxybutyrate (α-HB), β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HB) and acetoacetate (AcAc), may reflect early changes in glucose regulation [16,17,18,19].
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