Meal composition and satiety peptides

Calorie restriction is often the first-line therapy to help treat obesity. Although lower calorie diets induce weight loss, increased hunger and reduced satiety can reduce compliance to a low-calorie diet. However, altering the composition of the diet may be helpful. Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY) are acute satiety signals and increased satiety associated with high protein (HP) meals during calorie restriction and weight loss may be because protein causes the greatest stimulation of postprandial PP and PYY secretion.

Heden et al. conducted a study to compare postprandial PP, PYY, perceived hunger, and fullness responses between liquid HP and high carbohydrate (HC) meals during acute calorie restriction in obese women over the course of 12 h of feeding. The study also investigated whether the time of day alters PP, PYY, and perceived appetite and satiety responses as there is evidence that protein consumed at breakfast leads to greater feelings of fullness compared with other times of the day.

Their results show that liquid HP meals, compared with liquid HC meals, result in greater postprandial PP and PYY concentrations, an effect not associated with altered appetite or satiety, in obese women during calorie restriction. Meal induced changes in PYY and satiety are greatest during the morning period compared with the afternoon and evening.

Read full article in Heden et al (2013) European Journal of Endocrinology 168 593-600 DOI: 10.1530/EJE-12-0884