Comparative Assessment of the Acute Effects of Whey, Rice and Potato Protein Isolate Intake on Markers of Glycaemic Regulation and Appetite in Healthy Males Using a Randomised Study Design

Abstract

Global protein consumption has been increasing for decades due to changes in demographics and consumer shifts towards higher protein intake to gain health benefits in performance nutrition and appetite regulation. Plant-derived proteins may provide a more environmentally sustainable alternative to animal-derived proteins. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate, for the first time, the acute effects on glycaemic indices, gut hormones, and subjective appetite ratings of two high-quality, plant-derived protein isolates (potato and rice), in comparison to a whey protein isolate in a single-blind, triple-crossover design study with nine male participants (30.8 ± 9.3 yrs). Following a 12 h overnight fast, participants consumed an equal volume of the three isocaloric protein shakes on different days, with at least a one-week washout period. Glycaemic indices and gut hormones were measured at baseline, then at 30, 60, 120, 180 min at each visit. Subjective palatability and appetite ratings were measured using visual analogue scales (VAS) over the 3 h, at each visit. This data showed significant differences in insulin secretion with an increase in whey (+141.8 ± 35.1 pmol/L; p = 0.011) and rice (−64.4 ± 20.9 pmol/L; p = 0.046) at 30 min compared to potato protein. A significantly larger total incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was observed with whey versus potato and rice with p < 0.001 and p = 0.010, respectively. There was no significant difference observed in average appetite perception between the different proteins. In conclusion, this study suggests that both plant-derived proteins had a lower insulinaemic response and improved glucose maintenance compared to whey protein.

Mechanisms of molecular and structural interactions between lentil and quinoa proteins in aqueous solutions induced by pH recycling

“…Overconsumption of meat, especially processed meat, can lead to health problems (Bujnowski et al ., 2011), such as coronary heart disease (Clifton, 2011), high blood pressure (Elliott et al ., 2006) and hyperuricemia (Tracy et al ., 2014). On the contrary, numerous studies have shown that plant proteins provide several beneficial health effects including the lowering of the insulinemic response and improving glucose maintenance (Tiekou Lorinczova et al ., 2021), maintenance of a healthy body weight and normalisation of blood triglyceride and glucose levels (Guevara‐Cruz et al ., 2012). In a recent report, consumer demand for plant‐based proteins in the United States has increased, as illustrated by the increased demand for lentils and quinoa by 44% and 36% in 2020, respectively (IFT, 2020).…”

How Healthy Are Non-Traditional Dietary Proteins? The Effect of Diverse Protein Foods on Biomarkers of Human Health

“…A byproduct of starch manufacture is potato protein isolate which is relatively cost-efficient to obtain and has other desirable features such as being non-allergenic and gluten and lactose-free [ 37 ]. Various studies investigated vegetable protein from potatoes in the form of hydrolysates or extracts and were studied in human clinical trials [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. In one study, an industrial process was used to isolate native protein fractions from potatoes: termed “high” and “low” molecular weight fractions [ 39 ].…”

“…Another small study showed that potato protein consumption elicited a significantly lower insulinaemic response 30 min after consumption than whey or rice protein. Furthermore, a larger total incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was recorded for whey compared with the potato protein [ 40 ].…”

Impact of acute resistance exercise on the appetite response to plant protein in young males

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Understanding the impact of exercise on appetite is important in the context of energy balance (1) . The satiating effect of proteins as a macronutrient has been well established for both whey and plant-based proteins (2) . Protein is commonly consumed in trained individuals post-exercise.

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