Could creaminess help carbs match protein for satiating power?
It is often accepted that protein has a higher satiating power than carbohydrates, but the new data indicates that sensory cues like thickness and creaminess may influence satiety responses, report researchers from the University of Sussex (UK) and the Global Nutrition Department at Danone Research.
In addition, the satiating power of protein itself was also influenced by thickness and creaminess, with less thick and creamy protein beverages considered less satiating.
Writing in the British Journal of Nutrition, the researchers state: “These findings have implications both for the future conduct of human preload studies, where greater care is needed to match stimuli at a sensory level and in terms of our understanding of the nature of satiety.
“In particular, differences in the satiating effects of different types of foods, such as liquid v. solid etc, may be, in part, attributed to the role of sensory cues in facilitating post-ingestive satiety.”
Study details
Led by the University of Sussex’s Martin Yeomans, the researchers evaluated the effects of protein and carbohydrate-rich beverages on subsequent appetite and lunch intake. Two high energy protein drinks were formulated – one with the sensory characteristics of juice and the other was thicker and creamier. A high-carb beverage was also formulated with equal thickness and creaminess to the protein drink.
Twenty-six healthy male volunteers were asked to consume the beverages, and results showed that the men ate significantly less at lunch after drinking the thick and creamy high protein or high carb drinks, compared to the control beverage and the high-protein juice-type drink.
“The critical finding in the present study was that matching high-protein and carbohydrate preloads in terms of perceived thickness and creaminess resulted in very similar satiety responses to these drinks, whereas, normally, protein has been found to be more satiating than carbohydrate,” they concluded.
Source: British Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1017/S0007114512005375
“Perceived thickness and creaminess modulates the short-term satiating effects of high-protein drinks”
Authros: E.J. Bertenshaw, A. Lluch, M.R. Yeomans
