Increasing the protein to carbohydrate ratio in yogurts consumed as a snack reduces post-consumption glycemia independent of insulin

• Published in: Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 29 - 38
• Main Authors: El Khoury, Dalia, Brown, Peter, Smith, Gary, Berengut, Shari, Panahi, Shirin, Kubant, Ruslan, Anderson, G. Harvey
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; Appetite; Appetite - physiology; Beverages; Biological and medical sciences; blood glucose; Blood Glucose - metabolism; blood serum; Body Mass Index; Citrus sinensis; Cross-Over Studies; Dietary Carbohydrates - administration & dosage; Dietary Proteins - administration & dosage; dose response; Energy Intake; Feeding. Feeding behavior; food intake; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; glucose; Glycemia; glycemic control; homeostasis; honey; Humans; insulin; Insulin - blood; Male; males; Milk; orange juice; Postprandial Period; Protein; Satiation - physiology; satiety; Single-Blind Method; skim milk; Snacks; strawberries; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Yogurt; Young Adult; Energy intake; Appetite; ANOVA; iAUC; VAS; Yogurt; Protein; Glycemia; PCR; Milk; BMI; protein to carbohydrate ratio; body mass index; visual analog scale; analysis of variance; incremental area under the curve; Consumption; Pancreatic hormone; Metabolic diseases; Carbohydrate; Ratio; Insulin
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2013.03.010
• ISSN: 0261-5614; 1532-1983

We aimed to compare the effects of protein to carbohydrate ratio and physical form in dairy on glucose homeostasis and food intake. In a crossover design, 20 healthy males consumed 250 g of one of five treatments, plain yogurt, plain yogurt with honey, strawberry yogurt, skim milk or orange juice, as mid-morning snacks. Food intake was assessed 120 min later. Blood glucose, serum insulin and subjective satiety were measured pre- and post-meal. Pre-meal glucose responses were attenuated in a dose-dependent manner to the increasing protein and decreasing sugars in dairy. Protein to carbohydrate ratio correlated negatively with pre-meal glucose due to improved efficacy of insulin action rather than to increased insulin concentrations. Compared with a carbohydrate beverage (orange juice), cumulative blood glucose was lower after dairy snacks but the effect was not explained by their protein to carbohydrate ratio or physical form. Skim milk, with the lowest protein to carbohydrate ratio among dairy products, attenuated both pre-meal and post-meal glucose compared to orange juice without inducing higher insulin levels. There was no effect of treatments on appetite and food intake. While pre-meal glycemia was attenuated dose-dependently to increased protein to carbohydrate ratio in dairy snacks, the contribution of dairy products to post-meal glucose control and to satiety and food intake was independent of their protein to carbohydrate ratio and physical form in healthy men. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01673321.