Mitigating postprandial hyperglycaemic excursions may be effective in not only enhancing glycaemic control for people with type 2 diabetes but also reducing the onset of diabetes-related complications. However, there are growing concerns over the long-term efficacy of anti-hyperglycaemic pharmacotherapies, which coupled with their rising financial costs, underlines the need for further non-pharmaceutical treatments to regulate postprandial glycaemic excursions. One promising strategy that acutely improves postprandial glycaemia for people with type 2 diabetes is through the provision of mealtime whey protein, owing to the slowing of gastric emptying and increased secretion of insulin and the incretin peptides. The magnitude of this effect appears greater when whey protein is consumed before, rather than with, a meal. Herein, this dietary tool may offer a simple and inexpensive strategy in the management of postprandial hyperglycaemia for people with type 2 diabetes. However, there are insufficient long-term studies that have investigated the use of mealtime whey protein as a treatment option for individuals with type 2 diabetes. The methodological approaches applied in acute studies and outcomes reported may also not portray what is achievable long-term in practice. Therefore, studies are needed to refine the application of this mealtime strategy to maximize its clinical potential to treat hyperglycaemia and to apply these long-term to address key components of successful diabetes care. This review discusses evidence surrounding the provision of mealtime whey protein to treat postprandial hyperglycaemia in individuals with type 2 diabetes and highlights areas to help facilitate its clinical application.

Abstract‘Ageing well’ has been highlighted as an important research area by the World Health Organization. In the UK, healthy ageing has been identified as a priority research area by multiple Research Councils and is a key NHS priority. Sarcopaenia, the decline of muscle mass/strength and a key component of healthy ageing, can have a major impact on quality of life and is associated with premature mortality. Increasing protein intake at all stages of the life course may help to reduce the rate of muscle decline and the onset of associated health conditions. However, there is a lack of understanding of the social, demographic and psychological drivers of food choices surrounding protein intake. This report describes the multidisciplinary approach that has been adopted by the Protein for Life project to create a framework for the development of palatable, cost‐effective higher‐protein foods suitable for an ageing population.

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the expression of capillary-derived appetite peptides accurately reflects concentrations of their venous equivalents. Fingertip capillary (2×0.3 mL) and venous blood samples (2×4 mL) were collected simultaneously from 19 healthy adult volunteers [mean age 24.1 (SD 5.7) years, body mass 73.7 (SD 10.9) kg;], for determination of acylated ghrelin, GLP-17–36, glucagon, insulin and leptin. Samples were obtained at baseline (t=0 min) and at 30, 60, 90 and 120 min following consumption of a standardised breakfast. Bland-Altman plots were constructed with their 95% limits of agreement and confidence intervals. All analysis was computed using time-averaged area under the curve data (AUC). Where data were heteroscedastic, data were log transformed and reported as ratio limits of agreement (LOA). With the exception of acylated ghrelin (r2=0.51), venous and capillary blood samples displayed strong correlations between all hormonal peptides (r2≥0.84). GLP-17–36 and glucagon illustrated no systematic difference between capillary and venous blood samples (0.44±0.63 and −0.19±7.63 pg·mL−1, respectively). Capillary leptin, acylated ghrelin and insulin, on average, underestimated their venous equivalents. Mean log transformed ratio LOA for leptin, insulin and acylated ghrelin were 0.89 (1.19), 0.82 (1.79) and 0.44 (3.12), respectively. Fingertip capillary blood sampling appears appropriate in appetite-related research. Further research is warranted to clarify the acceptability of capillary sampling in lieu of venous blood sampling for the determination appetite peptides.

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