Resistant Starch Combined with Whey Protein Increases Postprandial Metabolism and Lowers Glucose and Insulin Responses in Healthy Adult Men.

Alex E Mohr,Vincent J Miller,Caitlin Sheridan,Jens J Holst,Brad Schuler,Paul J Arciero,Christopher L Gentile,Allison Keller,Olivia Minicucci,Gabriel O’Brien,Scott Connelly,Arne Astrup,Dale Long,Emery Ward,Feng He

doi:10.3390/foods10030537

Abstract

Resistant starch (RS) and/or protein consumption favorably influence energy metabolism, substrate utilization, and weight management. The current study administered four different versions of a pancake breakfast containing waxy maize or RS with and without whey protein (WP) and measured postprandial thermogenesis (TEM), fuel utilization, and circulating satiation and appetite factors for 180 min in a group of healthy, adult men. On four separate visits to the laboratory, eight participants were administered four different pancake breakfast meal challenges using a single-blind, randomized crossover design: (1) waxy maize starch (WMS) control; (2) WMS and WP (WMS + WP); (3) RS; or (4) RS and WP (RS + WP). TEM (kcals/180 min) was significantly greater (p < 0.05) in RS + WP (45.11; confidence interval (CI), 33.81–56.41) compared to WMS (25.61; CI, 14.31–36.91), RS (29.44; CI, 18.14–40.74), and WMS + WP (24.64; CI, 13.34–35.94), respectively. Fat oxidation was enhanced (p < 0.05) after RS + WP compared to RS at 60 min (+23.10%), WMS at 120 min (+27.49%), and WMS and WMS + WP at 180 min (+35.76%; +17.31%, respectively), and RER was decreased with RS + WP versus the other three meals (mean differences: ≥−0.021). Insulin concentrations were decreased (p < 0.05) following RS + WP compared to WMS, whereas both RS (−46.19%) and RS + WP (−53.05%) insulin area under the curve (AUC) were greatly reduced (p < 0.01) compared to WMS. While limited by sample size, meals containing both RS and WP increased postprandial thermogenesis and fat oxidation, and lowered insulin response compared to isocaloric meals without this combination. Therefore, RS + WP may favorably impact energy metabolism and thus weight control and body composition under chronic feeding conditions.

Highlights

The increasing obesity epidemic has prompted researchers to seek novel nutritional strategies to manage a healthy body weight and composition
Bonferroni multiple comparison tests revealed resistant starch (RS) + whey protein (WP) had higher fat oxidation rates compared to RS at 60 min (+23.10%, p = 0.008), waxy maize starch (WMS) at 120 min (+27.49%, p = 0.002), and WMS and WMS + WP at 180 min
Subjective feelings of hunger, satiation, and desire to eat were not different among the four meals. These findings show acute ingestion of a solid food meal containing RS + WP elicits a significantly greater thermogenic response, fat oxidation rates, and lower glucose/insulin responses compared to whole food meals of equal caloric and macronutrient composition

Summary

Introduction

The increasing obesity epidemic has prompted researchers to seek novel nutritional strategies to manage a healthy body weight and composition. While dietary approaches such as macronutrient composition, caloric restriction, and meal frequency have been popular areas of focus, the use of specific food products and dietary components are increasingly showing promise in the treatment of obesity [1,2]. Dairy protein fractions, including whey protein (WP), and indigestible carbohydrates, like resistant starch (RS), are both increasingly being viewed as strategies to control body weight and enhance body composition when incorporated into a nutritional intervention [3,4,5,6]. Clinical research has reported reductions in fasting and postprandial glucose levels and enhanced insulin sensitivity and gut-derived satiety peptides [17]

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