Protein source, quantity, and time of consumption determine the effect of proteins on short-term food intake in young men.

The objective of these 4 studies was to describe the effects of protein source, time of consumption, quantity, and composition of protein preloads on food intake in young men. Young men were fed isolates of whey, soy protein, or egg albumen in sweet and flavored beverages (400 mL) and provided a pizza meal 1-2 h later. Compared with the water control, preloads (45-50 g) of whey and soy protein, but not egg albumen, suppressed food intake at a pizza meal consumed 1 h later. Meal energy intake after egg albumen and soy, but not after control or whey treatments, was greater when the treatments were given in the late morning (1100 h) compared with earlier (0830-0910 h). Suppression of food intake after whey protein, consumed as either the intact protein or as peptides, extended to 2 h. Altering the composition of the soy preload (50 g) by reducing the soy protein content to 25 g and by adding 25 g of either glucose or amylose led to a loss in suppression of food intake by the preload. Egg albumen, in contrast to whey and soy preloads, increased cumulative energy intake (sum of the energy content of the preload plus that in the test meal) relative to the control. We conclude that protein source, time of consumption, quantity, and composition are all factors determining the effect of protein preloads on short-term food intake in young men.