Abstract
Gut appetite hormone responses may be influenced by meal macronutrients and obesity. The primary aim of this study was to examine in adolescents with obesity and of healthy weight the effect of a high-protein and a high-carbohydrate meal on postprandial gut appetite hormones. A postprandial cross-over study with adolescents 11–19 years old was undertaken. Participants consumed, in random order, a high 79% carbohydrate (HCHO) and a high 55% protein (HP) meal. Ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and self-reported appetite were assessed for four hours postprandial. Total energy intake from an ad libitum lunch and remaining 24 h was assessed. Eight adolescents with obesity (OB) and 12 with healthy weight (HW) participated. Compared with HW, OB adolescents displayed a smaller ghrelin iAUC (−25,896.5 ± 7943 pg/mL/4 h vs. −60,863.5 ± 13104 pg/mL/4 h) (p = 0.008) with no effect of meal (p > 0.05). The suppression of ghrelin relative to baseline was similar between OB and HW. Ghrelin suppression was greater following the HP vs. HCHO meal (effect of meal, p = 0.018). Glucose and insulin response were greater following HCHO vs. HP, with responses more marked in OB (time × weight × meal interaction, p = 0.003 and p = 0.018, respectively). There were no effects of weight or macronutrient on GLP-1 or PYY, appetite or subsequent energy intake. The present study demonstrates that dietary protein can modulate postprandial ghrelin responses; however, this did not translate to subsequent changes in subjective appetite or energy intake.
Highlights
Lifestyle interventions are integral to the management of overweight and obesity [1]
This study examined the acute appetite hormone responses to meals in adolescents with obesity compared with those of healthy weight
The absolute decline in ghrelin concentration following meal intake was much smaller in adolescents with obesity compared with those of healthy weight
Summary
Lifestyle interventions are integral to the management of overweight and obesity [1]. Dietary protein is considered a more satiating macronutrient than carbohydrate and fat and is often promoted as an important component of diet-based weight management [2,3]. This may, in part, be due to the effects of protein on satiety signals (neuro-endocrine signals). The gastrointestinal tract has important endocrine functions designed to regulate energy intake by the secretion of a number of appetite-regulating hormones, such as the orexigenic hormone ghrelin and the anorexigenic hormones peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) [4]. Manipulation of dietary macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, and fat) may regulate the secretion of these hormones, thereby potentially acting to influence appetite and energy intake.
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