Effects of high-calcium diets with different whey proteins on weight loss and weight regain in high-fat-fed C57BL/6J mice

• Published in: British journal of nutrition Vol. 102; no. 3; pp. 337 - 341
• Main Authors: Pilvi, Taru K., Harala, Saara, Korpela, Riitta, Mervaala, Eero M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 14.08.2009
• Subjects: Adipocytes - pathology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - analysis; Body fat; Calcium; Calcium - analysis; Calcium, Dietary - administration & dosage; Cell Size; Diet; Diet-induced obesity; Dietary calcium; Dietary Fats - adverse effects; Dietary Fats - analysis; Energy; Energy Intake; Feces - chemistry; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; High-fat diet; Lactalbumin - administration & dosage; Lactoferrin - administration & dosage; Lactoglobulins - administration & dosage; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Milk Proteins - administration & dosage; Models, Animal; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Obesity; Obesity - diet therapy; Obesity - etiology; Obesity - physiopathology; Proteins; Rodents; Treatment Outcome; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Weight; Weight Loss; Whey protein; Whey Proteins; Dietary calcium; Diet-induced obesity; Whey protein; High-fat diet; Obesity; Calcium; Rodentia; Nutrition disorder; Weight loss; Feeding; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Diet; Mouse; Animal; Fat; Nutritional status
• DOI: 10.1017/S0007114508199445
• ISSN: 0007-1145

The aim of the study was to compare the effect of different whey protein-containing high-Ca diets on weight loss and weight regain in a model of diet-induced obesity. Obesity was induced in C57BL/6J mice with a high-fat (60 % of energy) diet. Weight loss by energy restriction was performed on four different high-Ca diets (1·8 % CaCO3) containing different whey proteins (18 % of energy): α-lactalbumin (ALA), β-lactoglobulin (BLG), lactoferrin (LF) and whey protein isolate (WPI). After 7 weeks of energy restriction some of the mice were killed and the rest were fed with the same diets ad libitum for 7 weeks. The mice on the LF diet lost significantly more weight than mice on the WPI diet. The body fat content in the ALA and LF groups was significantly lower than in the WPI group (P < 0·05) and the LF group differed significantly even from the BLG group (P < 0·05). Ad libitum feeding after weight loss resulted in weight regain in all groups and only the ALA diet significantly reduced fat accumulation during weight regain. The weight regain was most pronounced in the LF group, but the adipocyte size was still significantly smaller than in the other groups. There were no differences in food intake or apparent fat digestibility between the groups. It can be concluded that a high-Ca diet with ALA significantly improves the outcome of weight loss and subsequent weight regain during the feeding of a high-fat diet in C57BL/6J mice, in comparison with WPI.