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Nutrition and Health (including climate and ecological aspects)

The acute effects of insect vs. beef-derived protein on postprandial plasma aminoacidemia, appetite hormones, appetite sensations, and energy intake in healthy young men

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 76, pages 1548–1556 (2022)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acute effects of ingesting beef- and insect-derived protein on postprandial plasma amino acid and appetite hormone concentrations, appetite sensations, and ad libitum energy intake.

Subjects/Methods

In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 20 young men (23 (SD: 4) y) completed two trials during which arterialized blood samples and VAS questionnaires were collected at baseline, and over 300-min after ingestion of beverages with similar energy and macronutrient content containing 25 g beef- or insect-derived (cricket) protein. Blood samples were analyzed for plasma amino acid and appetite hormone concentrations, while VAS questionnaires were applied to assess appetite sensations. After each trial, an ad libitum meal was immediately provided to assess energy intake.

Results

Adjusted mean postprandial incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was greater for cricket vs. beef-derived protein for plasma leucine, branched-chain amino acid, and essential amino acid concentrations (all P < 0.0001). Adjusted mean postprandial iAUC for hunger was lower following beef (−3030 (SE: 860)) vs. cricket-derived (−1197 (SE: 525)) protein (Difference: −1833 (95% CI: −3358, −308); P = 0.02), but was not different for other appetite sensations or appetite hormones (all P > 0.05). Adjusted mean ad libitum energy intake was 4072 (SE: 292) and 4408 (SE: 316) kJ following beef- and cricket-derived protein (Difference: −336 (95% CI: −992, 320); P = 0.30).

Conclusion

Acute ingestion of cricket and beef-derived protein leads to differences in postprandial plasma amino acid concentrations, but elicits similar effects on appetite hormones, appetite sensations, and ad libitum energy intake in young men.

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Fig. 1: Plasma glucose and insulin.
Fig. 2: Plasma leucine and branched-chain amino acids.
Fig. 3: Plasma essential amino acids, non-essential amino acids, and total amino acids.
Fig. 4: Plasma glucagon-like peptide 1 and peptide YY.
Fig. 5: Subjective appetite sensations.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Professor Ross Andersen for providing access to some of the equipment used in this study and Dr. Tom Hazell from Wilfrid Laurier University for helpful discussion during the initial stages of this project. The authors also thank Dr. José Correa from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at McGill University for providing statistical consulting.

Author contributions

JD, TAC-V: designed the research; JD, JL, PWM-A, AG, TAC-V: conducted the research; JD, JL, AG, TAC-V: analyzed the data; TAC-V: performed the statistical analysis; JD, JL, TAC-V: wrote the paper; JD, TAC-V: hold primary responsibility for the final content; all authors: read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

TAC-V was supported by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Jiaying Dai, Jamie Lov, Patrick W. Martin-Arrowsmith & Tyler A. Churchward-Venne

  2. Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Ari Gritsas & Tyler A. Churchward-Venne

  3. Division of Geriatric Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Tyler A. Churchward-Venne

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  1. Jiaying Dai
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Correspondence to Tyler A. Churchward-Venne.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Faculty of Medicine Institutional Review Board at McGill University on human experimentation and in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 as revised in October 2013. The study was approved by the Faculty of Medicine Institutional Review Board at McGill University on October 31, 2018 (Study Number: A08-M28-18B).

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Dai, J., Lov, J., Martin-Arrowsmith, P.W. et al. The acute effects of insect vs. beef-derived protein on postprandial plasma aminoacidemia, appetite hormones, appetite sensations, and energy intake in healthy young men. Eur J Clin Nutr 76, 1548–1556 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-022-01157-8

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