PP117 - THE EFFECT OF IRREGULAR MEAL PATTERN ON NITROGEN BALANCE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN HEALTHY NORMAL WEIGHT WOMEN
PP117
THE EFFECT OF IRREGULAR MEAL PATTERN ON NITROGEN BALANCE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN HEALTHY NORMAL WEIGHT WOMEN
M. A. Ali1,*, M. A. Taylor2, I. Macdonald2
1Clinical Nutrition, King Abdullah Medical City, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, 2University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Rationale: The effect of an irregular meal pattern on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism has been considered in the literature, however, the impact on protein metabolism has not been addressed.
Methods: In a randomized crossover trial, 14 females with healthy normal weight followed, in period 1, either a regular (6 meals/day) or an irregular meal pattern (3-9 meals/day). In period 2, participants followed the alternative meal pattern to that followed in period 1. The two intervention periods were separated by a wash-out period of 21 days. Identical foods were provided in amounts designed to meet their energy requirements. Nitrogen balance was calculated based on measuring of urinary urea nitrogen using daily 24-h urine samples during each intervention period. Subjective appetite ratings were recorded before and after each meal on day 7 during both intervention periods when 6 meals were consumed.
Results: Nitrogen balance between the two interventions was not significantly different (P=.091) over a 7-day period. Moreover, there were no significant differences in pre- and post- meal values between two interventionperiods in all appetite ratings.
Conclusion: The present study indicated that the effect of meal pattern irregularity on nitrogen balance over 7-day period is not significant. With regard to subjective appetite, there were no changes in all appetite ratings with consuming a regular or irregular meal pattern. It would be of interest in future works to study overweight and obese individuals in the same protocol with restricted nitrogen content to make the findings applicable to a broader population and to conduct longer term studies.
References: Alhussain M, Macdonald I and Taylor M (2016). Irregular meal-pattern effects on energy expenditure, metabolism, and appetite regulation: a randomized controlled trial in healthy normal-weight women. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 104 (1), 21-32
Disclosure of Interest: None declared