Effect of food acceptability on appetite hormones’ response in normal weight vs. obese male subjects -

Abstract

The obesity prevalence is still increasing worldwide and extrapolations reveal that 20percent of adults in the world or around 1 billion people, will be obese by 2030. Thus, understanding the complex phenomenon of appetite regulation. The present study is the first to portray the effect of hedonic manipulation (high-acceptability vs. modified low-acceptability isocaloric food) on postprandial ghrelin, GLP-1, insulin levels and appetite scores in healthy male subjects. Thirty male subjects (15 normal-weight; BMI 18.5-24.9 kg-m² and 15 obese; BMI 30 -39.9 kg-m²) were recruited for a randomized, cross over design. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two meals, custard (HA) or custard with Acesulfame-K (LA, excessively sweet). Blood samples were withdrawn before the meal at time 0 and after finishing it at 15, 30, 60, 120,180 and 240 min and were analyzed for ghrelin, GLP-1, insulin and glucose. Appetite scores were also recorded at the same time points. Acceptability was measured after 2 spoons, when finishing the meal and after 240 min. Ghrelin levels were significantly higher after the LA meal for both lean and obese subjects. GLP-1, insulin and glucose did not differ between the meals. Appetite scores varied from baseline levels with lower hunger and higher satiety and fullness after the HA meal at 240 min, but failed to reach a significant difference. Energy intake was close to being statistically significant between meals with higher intake after the LA meal. Moreover, lean and obese subjects were significantly different in prospective food consumption, ghrelin, GLP-1, insulin and glucose concentrations and in ad libitum with higher energy intake for obese participants. These findings show that hedonic properties could affect food intake through stimulation or inhibition of postprandial appetite-related hormones. This offers a possibility to assess the acceptability of foods in formulating diets for a long term weight management solution.