Whey as a functional food ingredient for the regulation of short-term food intake and its mechanism of action in human subjects

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Obesity is associated with health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular, and other diseases that cause morbidity and escalating health care expenses. Obesity in Canada is rapidly approaching that of the US, which is now close to 30% of the population.       As one possible solution to the obesity epidemic, our innovative approach is to understand the effect of food components on satiety and food intake and to use them as ingredients in functional food formulations to modulate the physiologic processes that regulate energy balance. A number of products ranging from low fat to low carbohydrate aimed at reducing caloric intake are on the market but have done little to slow the relentless increase in the prevalence of obesity. In contrast, little attention has been given to the role of proteins in the regulation of food intake and body weight.  The various high protein diets such as the Atkins diet are viewed as unhealthy because of their high fat content.     From a nutritional perspective, whey is a high quality protein.  Two types, acid and sweet whey, are produced as by-products of the cheese industry.  Most or all of the sweet whey are converted to whey protein concentrate or isolate. On the other hand, acid whey is underutilized and often wasted.       The goal of this research is to convert this high quality protein into a value-added consumer product by evaluating its functionality in stimulating short-term satiety and reducing food intake. Whey has excellent potential for use in the development of new functional food products that improve the regulation of food intake and metabolism, and therefore contribute to the control of body weight. Therefore, in addition to measuring the effects of consuming whey protein in foods and beverages on food intake, we will elucidate its mechanism of action.