Effects of a casein hydrolysate versus intact casein on gastric emptying and amino acid responses

Purpose
Milk proteins and/or their hydrolysates have been reported to have beneficial effects for improving postprandial glycaemia. Gastric emptying is a major determinant of postprandial glycaemia, yet limited studies have examined the effects of intact milk proteins compared to hydrolysates on gastric emptying. We investigated gastric emptying of a casein hydrolysate compared to intact casein.
Methods
Nine overweight and obese adults (mean ± SD age: 59.5 ± 6.5 years and BMI 28.4 ± 2.6 kg/m2) were studied in a randomised crossover design. Gastric emptying was assessed by paracetamol absorption test, with HPLC-MS being used for determining paracetamol and its primary metabolites in plasma. Glucose, insulin and amino acid responses were also assessed.
Results
Linear mixed model analysis showed no effect of treatment [F(1, 55) = 2.1, P = 0.16] or treatment × time interactions [F(6, 54) = 1.5, P = 0.21] for paracetamol concentrations. In addition, there were no significant differences between the intact casein and hydrolysate for any of the gastric emptying outcome measures (Cmax, AUC0–30min, AUC0–60min; AUC0–240min). However, insulin was increased in the early postprandial period (iAUC0–15min, iAUC0–30min; P < 0.05) and there was a treatment effect for glucose [F(1, 53) = 5.3, P = 0.03] following the casein hydrolysate compared to intact casein. No significant differences in amino acids were found between the two conditions.
Conclusions
Gastric emptying of a casein hydrolysate compared to intact casein does not differ. Mechanisms other than gastric emptying, for example the presence of a bioactive peptide sequence, may contribute to the glycaemic management effects of certain milk protein hydrolysates and warrant further investigation.