The Effect of Breakfasts Varying in Protein Source on Appetite and Energy Intake

Over the last decades, changes in the diet and lifestyle have led to overall energy imbalance becoming commonplace and the emergence of an obesity epidemic with more than 1.6 billion adults being overweight. Consumption of foods that can affect appetite by increasing satiety could regulate the total energy intake and thus body weight. There is data suggesting that the macronutrient composition of the foods and especially protein content may have a potent role on satiety. However, the type of protein appears to play a role in satiety possibly due to the different balance of the amino acid profile. The research project is dedicated to identify the source (animal or plant) and the optimized protein quantity needed to accelerate satiation, suppress appetite and extend satiety until hunger appears again. It is hypothesized that the consumption of animal derived protein-enriched meals will induce a reduction in hunger through the impact on gut hormones and peptides that are closely related to the short-term regulation of food intake.