The Impact of Different Animal-Derived Protein Sources on Adiposity and Glucose Homeostasis during Ad Libitum Feeding and Energy Restriction in Already Obese Mice

Abstract

Low-fat diets and energy restriction are recommended to prevent obesity and to induce weight loss, but high-protein diets are popular alternatives. However, the importance of the protein source in obesity prevention and weight loss is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of different animal protein sources to prevent or reverse obesity by using lean or obese C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat/high-protein or low-fat diets with casein, cod or pork as protein sources. Only the high-fat/high-protein casein-based diet completely prevented obesity development when fed to lean mice. In obese mice, ad libitum intake of a casein-based high-fat/high-protein diet modestly reduced body mass, whereas a pork-based high-fat/high-protein diet aggravated the obese state and reduced lean body mass. Caloric restriction of obese mice fed high-fat/high-protein diets reduced body weight and fat mass and improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, irrespective of the protein source. Finally, in obese mice, ad libitum intake of a low-fat diet stabilized body weight, reduced fat mass and increased lean body mass, with the highest loss of fat mass found in mice fed the casein-based diet. Combined with caloric restriction, the casein-based low-fat diet resulted in the highest loss of fat mass. Overall, the dietary protein source has greater impact in obesity prevention than obesity reversal.

The Anti-Obesogenic Effect of Lean Fish Species Is Influenced by the Fatty Acid Composition in Fish Fillets

“…In line with human epidemiological studies [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] and earlier observations in mice [ 15 , 24 , 33 , 38 , 39 , 40 ], we here demonstrate that different protein sources exhibit profound differences in their ability to modulate obesity development. This study supports the notion that dietary proteins from marine sources are less obesogenic than protein from terrestrial sources [ 24 , 38 , 39 ]. Thus, mice fed the chicken-based diet gained more weight than mice fed the cod-based diet, whereas weight gain in mice fed the pangasius-based diet fell in between.…”

Dietary Alaska pollock protein alters insulin sensitivity and gut microbiota composition in rats

“…On the other hand, Myrmel et al. (2019) reported that the intake of cod without fat removal had a decreased insulin sensitivity compared with the intake of casein in high‐fat/high‐protein diet fed obese mice during ad libitum feeding. Further research is needed to clarify the effect of dietary APP on insulin sensitivity.…”

Genetic Background Shapes Phenotypic Response to Diet for Adiposity in the Collaborative Cross

“…The tremendous genetic diversity of the CC population (Philip et al, 2011 ; Collaborative Cross Consortium, 2012 ; Srivastava et al, 2017 ; Shorter et al, 2019 ) facilitates the discernment between effects caused by diet from effects caused by genetic variation when measuring differences and changes in adiposity and other metabolic traits across multiple genetic “replicates” in each strain, thereby increasing power, reproducibility, and relevance to obesity in humans (Mathes et al, 2011 ). Following a 2-week acclimation period on standard synthetic diet (AIN-76A) to determine baseline phenotypes, mice between 8 and 11 weeks of age were randomized and put on experimental diets (high fat high sucrose or high protein) for 8 weeks, followed by analysis of body composition, metabolic rate, clinical blood chemistries, and circulating metabolites to assess the effect of diet on each trait since diets with higher protein, low glycemic index, and lower fat content may assist in maintaining weight loss compared to diets with higher carbohydrate content (Abete et al, 2010 ; Larsen et al, 2010 ; Hu et al, 2018 ; Myrmel et al, 2019 ; San-Cristobal et al, 2020 ). While both genetics and diet interact to influence adiposity and other phenotypes, health outcomes were more strongly impacted by genetic effects than diet.…”