Weight Loss, but Not Dairy Composition of Diet, Moderately Affects Satiety and Postprandial Gut Hormone Patterns in Adults

Background: Inclusion of dairy in diet patterns has been shown to have mixed effects on weight loss. A prevailing hypothesis is that dairy improves weight loss by influencing endocrine systems associated with satiety and food intake regulation. Objectives: The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of weight loss with or without adequate dietary dairy on subjective and objective appetitive measures. Methods: Men and women who were habitual low dairy consumers (n = 65, 20-50 y) participated in a 12-wk randomized controlled feeding weight loss trial. During the 12-wk intervention, a low-dairy (<1 serving dairy/d) was compared with an adequate-dairy (3-4 servings dairy/d) diet, both with a 500-kcal deficit/d. Test days, before and at the end of the intervention, began with 2 fasting blood draws and visual analog scale (VAS) measures, followed by a standard breakfast (25% of prescribed restricted calories), 5 postbreakfast blood draws and VASs, a standard lunch (40% of restricted energy amount), and 12 postlunch blood draws and VASs. Blood samples were used for satiety hormone measurements. On a separate day when matching standard meals were consumed, an ad libitum buffet meal was provided as dinner, at a self-selected time. Meal duration and intermeal interval were recorded. Results: Weight loss (-6.1 kg), irrespective of dairy, resulted in reduced fasting insulin (-20%) and leptin (-25%), and increased fasting acylated ghrelin (+25%) and VAS desire to eat (+18%) (P < 0.05). There were no effects of dairy on objective or subjective satiety measures. Weight loss marginally reduced the intermeal interval (289 min compared with 276 min, P = 0.059) between lunch and the ad libitum buffet. Conclusions: These results do not support the hypothesis that inclusion of dairy in long-term dietary patterns influences appetite during weight loss. Weight loss per se has a modest impact on select systems that regulate hunger and satiety. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00858312. J Nutr 2021;151:245-254.

Automated summary

This study did not support the hypothesis that including dairy in long-term dietary patterns affects appetite during weight loss. Instead, weight loss itself had a modest impact on regulating hunger and satiety systems.