High Protein Pasta Doesn’t Impact Satiety, According to Researchers

25 Aug 2016 --- Consumption of high protein or high fiber pasta doesn’t result in increased satiety over regular pasta, a new study shows.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota compared satiety after the consumption of high protein pasta, high fiber pasta, and control pasta in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover trial.

The high protein pasta contained 16g of protein and 6g of fiber, the high fiber pasta contained 11g of protein and 8g of fiber and the control pasta contained 11g of protein and 6g of fiber.

Participants were 36 healthy men and women. The group came in fasted from breakfast and then ate calorie controlled, but macronutrient different pastas at 12:00 p.m. along with 500 mL of water during three separate visits.

A questionnaire was used to rate how full they felt as well as the palatability and pleasantness of each pasta. Participants were also asked to report on whether or not they experienced any gastrointestinal symptoms.

The researchers then measured the amount of calories consumed during a snack break 3 hours later, where participants were told they could eat as much trail mix, granola bars, beef jerky, chips and cookies until they were comfortably full.

The researchers found no differences between each of the three pastas for satiety, snacking, or gastrointestinal tolerance, although men ate significantly more calories after consuming the high protein pasta versus the high fiber pasta.

No significant differences were found for gastrointestinal tolerance, but the palatability ratings showed the high protein pasta was less tasty and less pleasant than the other two pastas.

The study comes at a time where other food categories utilizing protein are lobbying for label makers to allow satiety to be promoted as an effect of protein consumption.

Previously, Co-founder of FUEL10K, Barney Mauleverer, told NutritionInsight, “’Making you feel fuller for longer’ is widely understood amongst researchers as a benefit of protein but the labeling rules do not allow such a claim at present, and we have been lobbying for it to be accepted.”

However, it could be that pasta products are anomalies when it comes to protein impacting satiety, with the researchers commenting that, as pasta is already a very satiating food, the subjects were unable to differentiate between the 3 conditions.

by Hannah Gardiner

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