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A high-whey-protein diet reduces body weight gain and alters insulin sensitivity relative to red meat in wistar rats

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journal contribution
posted on 2004-06-01, 00:00 authored by Damien P Belobrajdic, Graeme H McIntosh, Julie Owens
A high-protein diet can reduce body weight and increase insulin sensitivity, but whether the type of dietary protein affects these outcomes is unknown. We hypothesized that feeding insulin-resistant rats a high-protein diet (32%) containing whey protein concentrate (WPC) would reduce body weight and tissue lipid levels and increase insulin sensitivity more than a diet containing red meat (RM). Rats were fed a high-fat diet (300 g fat/kg diet) for 9 wk, then switched to a diet containing either 80 or 320 g protein/kg diet, provided by either WPC or RM, for 6 wk (n = 8). The rats were then killed after overnight food deprivation. High dietary protein reduced energy intake (P < 0.001) and visceral (P < 0.001), subcutaneous (P < 0.001), and carcass fat (P < 0.05). Increasing the dietary density of WPC, but not of RM, reduced body weight gain by 4% (P < 0.001). Dietary WPC also reduced plasma insulin concentration by 40% (P < 0.05) and increased insulin sensitivity, compared to RM (P < 0.05). These findings support the conclusions that a high-protein diet reduces energy intake and adiposity and that whey protein is more effective than red meat in reducing body weight gain and increasing insulin sensitivity.

History

Journal

Journal of nutrition

Volume

134

Issue

6

Pagination

1454 - 1458

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Location

Oxford, Eng.

ISSN

0022-3166

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2004, American Society for Nutritional Sciences