Coconut and sunflower oil ratios in ice cream influence subsequent food selection and intake

Abstract

The effect of coconut oil (CO, containing mainly medium chain triglycerides - MCTs) and sunflower oil (SO, containing mainly long chain triglycerides - LCTs) used as fat source (10% fat ice cream) in different ratios (25% CO and 75% SO - 25CO:75SO, 50% CO and 50% SO - 50CO:50SO, 75% CO and 25% SO - 75CO:25SO) was investigated to assess differences in appetite and ad-libitum (evening and snack) food intake using a single blind design. 36 healthy female participants consumed a fixed portion (150g) of ice cream 45min before an ad-libitum dinner and snacks. Appetite sensations were tracked across the day. Participants ate significantly less fat after 75CO:25SO than 25CO:75SO (p=0.007) and there was also a trend for lower fat intake in this condition as compared to 50CO:50SO (p=0.068). High fat savoury snack intake significantly decreased after 75CO:25SO in comparison with both 25CO:75SO (p=0.038) and 50CO:50SO (p=0.008). Calorie intake from snacks was also found to be significantly lower after 25CO:75SO and 50CO:50SO than 75CO:25SO (p=0.021 and 0.030 respectively). There was no effect of condition on appetite or desire ratings over the day. Eating a standard portion of ice cream containing different ratios of MCTs and LCTs can modestly influence acute food selection and intake, with MCTs manifesting their effect earlier and LCTs later due to differences in the absorption and metabolism of these lipids. However, the differences evident in the present study were small, and require further research before firm conclusions can be drawn.

A comparison of the satiating properties of medium-chain triglycerides and conjugated linoleic acid in participants with healthy weight and overweight or obesity

“…Conversely, CLA does not alter energy intake in comparison to a LCT control. The literature surrounding MCT and satiety is equivocal, with studies reporting decreased energy intake after MCT [8][9][10]48] and others reporting no effect [49,50].…”

Effect of medium-chain TAG and exercise on satiety, energy intake and energy balance

“…Foods with enhanced satiety have been outlined as having benefits to weight management (31) . MCT have previously been shown to increase satiety and decrease energy intake when compared with 'traditional' LCT (2)(3)(4)32) , though these are not unequivocal findings (33,34) . The apparent increase in satiety is possibly due to their fast absorption, as MCT are transported directly to the liver via the portal vein; avoiding chylomicron transport in the lymphatic system (35) .…”

Reformulation of Foods for Weight Loss: A Focus on Carbohydrates and Fats

“…MCT) (from soft fraction milk fat) or long chain triglycerides (from tallow). Rizzo et al, (2016) found that in a dinner meal following ice-cream with varying quantities of coconut oil there was trend towards reduced consumption with the coconut oil, however this was compensated for later when there was a significant increase in snack consumption resulting in no overall difference between the ice-creams. The amounts of coconut oil used in the high dose in this study was 7.5g coconut oil consisting of only ~4.8 g .…”

“…To date there is less research on coconut oil compared to the large of body of work undertaken on MCT oil. Studies examining the effects of coconut oil compared to LCTs reported no increase in satiety and no effect on food intake (Rizzo et al, 2016, Poppitt et al, 2010. Poppit et al, (2010) found no difference in visual analogue scale ratings of satiety or differences in ad libitum food intake at lunch following the consumption of either coconut oil (containing 10g MCT), high short chain triglyceride (3g SCT, 7g…”