The Effect of Beverages Varying in Protein Quantity 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, it is difficult to pinpoint the optimum quantity needed to observe significant effects of protein on satiety. The research project is dedicated to identify which food components \[proteins, carbohydrates (CHO), fats\] 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 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.