Effects of plant polar lipids on postprandial appetite sensations, mood, and cognition in healthy humans

Abstract

Background
Dietary intervention is an effective way to prevent pandemic non-communicable diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes which can probably raise the risk of depression and Alzheimer's disease. Although considerable numbers of intervention studies focus on metabolic effects and physiological benefits of the intake of plant lipids, the function in appetite, mood, and cognition modulation of plant lipids are poorly understood. The aim of this project was to evaluate the postprandial effects on subjective appetite variables, subjective mood variables, as well as cognitive functions in healthy subjects of different concentrations of a specific source of plant polar lipids.

Method
Plant polar lipids, consumed with 120 g of white bread, were investigated in a meal study, at three different concentrations (15 g, 10 g, and 5 g). In addition, two control meals were included, one consisting of white wheat bread with rapeseed oil, and another with white wheat bread without added lipids. All lipid-supplemented meals contained a total of 15 g of lipids. To reach this amount, the polar lipid meals were complemented with rapeseed oil. Seventeen healthy participants (age 25.1 ± 2.5, BMI 22.4 ± 2.5), 7 males and 10 females participated in this study. The test and control meals were consumed at breakfast in a crossover study design, with a 1-week wash-out period in-between test days. Subjective appetite (satiety, hunger, and desire to eat) and mood variables (determined with Visual Analog Scales), as well as cognitive performance in terms of working memory, psychomotor reaction time, and selective attention (a computerized test), were assessed during the three-hour (8 am to 11 am) clinical trial.

Results
The test meal with 10 g polar lipids resulted in improved appetite sensations, in terms of less “desire to eat”, compared with the meal without lipid supplementation (P<0.05). Further, the control meal with rapeseed oil resulted in improved mood variables (P<0.05) in comparison to the 15 g polar lipid meal. No significant differences were observed in cognitive performance in terms of selective attention/working memory (P>0.05). As for the psychomotor reaction time, the test meal without the addition of lipids resulted in a significantly better performance compared to all the other test meals (P<0.05).

Conclusion
There is a certain roof effect of polar lipid concentrations in appetite regulation. Results from this study do not support the enhanced effects of polar lipids with respect to cognitive functions and mood variables while rapeseed oil showed to be superior to improving mood variables. Thus more studies in this area are warranted to evaluate possible metabolic and cognitive effects.

Popular Abstract

Plant polar lipids- how do they affect appetite, mood, and cognition in healthy humans after the breakfast meal?

Introduction
Dietary intervention is an effective way to prevent common diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as lowing the risk of depression and Alzheimer's disease. Plant polar lipids are vital for the improvement and prevention of cardiovascular disease and cognitive function. Although some studies focus on how plant lipids can help to regulate blood glucose and improve other metabolic diseases, the function of plant polar lipids on appetite, mood, and cognition regulation is poorly understood. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effects on subjective appetite variables, subjective mood variables, as well as cognitive functions in healthy subjects after consuming breakfast meals containing different concentrations of one specific type of plant polar lipids.

Study design and main findings
The project was conducted as a breakfast meal study, basic composition of the study meal included 120 g white wheat bread, 15 g polar lipids, and 250 ml tap water. To be more specific, plant polar lipids were investigated at three different concentrations (15 g, 10 g, and 5 g corresponding to G1, G2, and G3) together with two control meals, one consisting of white bread with rapeseed oil (G4), and another without added lipids (G5). Seventeen healthy young participants including 7 males and 10 females participated in this study. All five meals were consumed at breakfast in a random order, with around a 1-week gap in-between every test day. Main tested parameters including subjective appetite and mood variables as well as cognitive performance were assessed during the three-hour (8 am to 11 am) clinical trial. For subjective appetite and mood, 100 mm scoring sheets were used, and for cognitive function, a computerized test aiming for selective attention and working memory was performed.
The results of statistical analysis showed that there is no significant difference between the five test products neither in the appetite rating nor the correct response in cognitive performance in terms of selective attention. But the response time of correct answers, the test meal without the addition of lipids exerts a significantly better performance than other groups. While in mood, compared to the polar lipids-containing meals and non-added lipid meal, the control meal with rapeseed oil exhibited improved performance in comparison to the 15 g polar lipid meal on activation (active state). However, based on the plotted graphs, meals containing a certain amount (10g) of plant polar lipids can lead to improvement in appetite sensation, which could be beneficial in preventing obesity and type 2 diabetes. A possible explanation could be that improved bioavailability of fatty acids in the human body increased insulin levels and led to higher fullness when mixing plant polar lipids and rapeseed oil.

• author: Shen, Xiaomeng
• supervisor: Anne Nilsson; Juscelino Tovar
• organization: Food Technology and Nutrition (M.Sc.)
• course: KNLM01 20221
• year: 2022
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Medicine and Health Sciences
• keywords: Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, plant polar lipids, type 2 diabetics, appetite regulation, mood regulation, cognitive performance
• language: English
• id: 9089334
• date added to LUP: 2022-06-17 13:00:22
• date last changed: 2022-06-17 13:00:22