Context:In various observational studies, an inverse relation between calcium intake and body weight has been observed. A possible explanation could be an increased calcium excretion through the faeces caused by an increased dietary calcium intake. Objective: To examine whether an increased calcium intake could lead to changes in faecal fat and energy excretion. Design: Four different isocaloric diets with various calcium contents (400, 1200 and 2500 mg from dairy and 1200 mg from calcium carbonate (1200S)) were administered in a crossover design for 7 days each. Subjects: Five healthy men and five healthy women (age ¼ 2872, body mass index ¼ 24.170.4, body fat% ¼ 25.672.4) were recruited by local announcement. Measurements: At the end of every intervention period, faecal samples were collected for determination of fat, energy and calcium content, blood samples were obtained for determination of relevant blood parameters; and fat samples were obtained for measurement of the mRNA expression. Furthermore, resting energy expenditure and fat oxidation were measured with the ventilated-hood technique. Results: We observed a non-significant 56% increase in fat excretion (P ¼ 0.159) on the 2500 mg diet, compared to the 400 mg diet. The 2500 mg diet significantly reduced the expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA (Po0.05) and the calcium content of the diets significantly affected calcium excretion. Furthermore, we saw a significant decrease of serum triglycerides on the 1200S diet (Po0.05). Conclusion: In this study, we observed a trend towards a higher fat excretion on the high-calcium diet, but this difference failed to reach statistical significance. It is possible that the relatively high protein content of the experimental diets increased calcium absorption from the intestine, thus decreasing the amount of calcium available for binding to fat and eliminating possible effects of dietary calcium on fat excretion. Furthermore, we observed decreases in FAS mRNA expression and serum triglycerides as a result of a high calcium intake.

This study examined postprandial plasma insulin and glucose responses after co-ingestion of an insulinotropic protein (Pro) hydrolysate with and without additional free leucine with a single bolus of carbohydrate (Cho). Male patients with long-standing Type 2 diabetes (n = 10) and healthy controls (n = 10) participated in 3 trials in which plasma glucose, insulin, and amino acid responses were determined after the ingestion of beverages of different composition (Cho: 0.7 g/kg carbohydrate, Cho+Pro: 0.7 g/kg carbohydrate with 0.3 g/kg protein hydrolysate, or Cho+Pro+Leu: 0.7 g/kg carbohydrate, 0.3 g/kg protein hydrolysate and 0.1 g/kg free leucine). Plasma insulin responses [expressed as area under the curve (AUC)] were 141 and 204% greater in patients with Type 2 diabetes and 66 and 221% greater in the controls in the Cho+Pro and Cho+Pro+Leu trials, respectively, compared with those in the Cho trial (P < 0.05). The concomitant plasma glucose responses were 15 and 12% lower in the patients with Type 2 diabetes and 92 and 97% lower in the control group in the Cho+Pro and Cho+Pro+Leu trials, respectively, compared with those in the Cho trial (P < 0.05). Plasma leucine concentrations correlated with the insulin response in all subjects (r = 0.43, P < 0.001). We conclude that co-ingestion of a protein hydrolysate with or without additional free leucine strongly augments the insulin response after ingestion of a single bolus of carbohydrate, thereby significantly reducing postprandial blood glucose excursions in patients with long-standing Type 2 diabetes.