Effect of Increasing the Dietary Protein Content of Breakfast on Subjective Appetite, Short-Term Food Intake and Diet-Induced Thermogenesis in Children

Dietary protein affects energy balance by decreasing food intake (FI) and increasing energy expenditure through diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) in adults. Our objective was to investigate the effects of increasing the dietary protein in an isocaloric breakfast on subjective appetite, FI, blood glucose, and DIT in 9-14 y children. Two randomized repeated measures designs were used. In experiment 1, 17 children (9 boys, 8 girls) consumed isocaloric meals (450 kcal) on four separate mornings containing: 7 g (control), 15 g (low protein, LP), 30 g (medium protein, MP) or 45 g (high protein, HP) of protein. Blood glucose and subjective appetite were measured at baseline and regular intervals for 4 h, and FI was measured at 4 h. In experiment 2, 9 children (6 boys, 3 girls) consumed the control or HP breakfast on two separate mornings, and both DIT and subjective appetite were determined over 5 h. In experiment 1, all dietary protein treatments suppressed subjective appetite compared to control (p < 0.001), and the HP breakfast suppressed FI compared with the LP breakfast and control (p < 0.05). In experiment 2, DIT was higher after HP than control (p < 0.05). In conclusion, increasing the dietary protein content of breakfast had favorable effects on satiety, FI, and DIT in children.