PW05 - INVESTIGATING GASTROINTESTINAL RESPONSES TO ANIMAL AND PLANT-BASED CHICKEN SOUPS USING MRI TECHNIQUES: A RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER TRIAL

PW05

INVESTIGATING GASTROINTESTINAL RESPONSES TO ANIMAL AND PLANT-BASED CHICKEN SOUPS USING MRI TECHNIQUES: A RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER TRIAL

M. Alotaibi^1,2,*, S. Eldeghaidy^1,3, C. Hoad^3,4, A. Salter¹, M. Muleya ¹, S. Wolfe³

¹Division of Food, Nutrition & Dietetics, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom, ²Clinical Nutrition Program, Department of Health Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ³Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, ⁴NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Nottingham, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Rationale: Protein digestion mechanisms vary by source, yet human in-vivo studies comparing different protein types remain scarce. While chicken dominates global animal protein consumption, plant-based meat analogues offer sustainable alternatives despite questions about their bioavailability, which is largely determined by protein digestibility¹. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a non-invasive method to measure gastric responses. This study aims to evaluate the gastrointestinal (GI) effects of nutritionally-matched animal based chicken soup (ABCS) and plant-based chicken soup (PBCS) in healthy participants using non-invasive MRI techniques.

Methods: 10 healthy adult males aged 18 to 45 were recruited to a randomized 2×2 crossover design study. Participants underwent GI MRI scans at baseline and for two hours after the consumption of 500 mL of either ABCS or PBCS. Gastric emptying (GE), small bowel water content (SBWC), and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) responses were evaluated. Statistical differences for ACU were assessed using a two-tailed paired t-test (p<0.05) using GraphPad Prism 10.

Results: The results show that GE and SMA were significantly higher for ABCS compared to PBCS (P < 0.001; P < 0.01, respectively). However, no significant differences were observed in SBWC between ABCS   and PBCS.

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Conclusion: This randomized crossover trial is the first to compare GI responses to ABCS and PBCS in humans. The ABCS exhibits significantly faster GE and increased SMA compared to PBCS, suggesting differences in gastric processing and protein digestibility. However, similar SBWC indicates comparable early intestinal fluid responses. Longer study period with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings and assess the broader implications for plant-based diets and GI function.

References:         1. Xie, Y., (2022). Food Chemistry, 387, p.132917.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared