title: Protein status elicits compensatory changes in food intake and food preferences.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Protein is an indispensable component within the human diet. It is unclear, however, whether behavioral strategies exist to avoid shortages.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to investigate the effect of a low protein status compared with a high protein status on food intake and food preferences.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a randomized crossover design that consisted of a 14-d fully controlled dietary intervention involving 37 subjects [mean ± SD age: 21 ± 2 y; BMI (in kg/m(2)): 21.9 ± 1.5] who consumed individualized, isoenergetic diets that were either low in protein [0.5 g protein · kg body weight (BW)(-1) · d(-1)] or high in protein (2.0 g protein · kg BW(-1) · d(-1)). The diets were followed by an ad libitum phase of 2.5 d, during which a large array of food items was available, and protein and energy intakes were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We showed that in the ad libitum phase protein intake was 13% higher after the low-protein diet than after the high-protein diet (253 ± 70 compared with 225 ± 63 g, P < 0.001), whereas total energy intake was not different. The higher intake of protein was evident throughout the ad libitum phase of 2.5 d. In addition, after the low-protein diet, food preferences for savory high-protein foods were enhanced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After a protein deficit, food intake and food preferences show adaptive changes that suggest that compensatory mechanisms are induced to restore adequate protein status. This indicates that there are human behavioral strategies present to avoid protein shortage and that these involve selection of savory high-protein foods. This trial was registered with the Dutch Trial register at http://www.trialregister.nl as NTR2491.
authors.affiliation: Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Netherlands. sanne.griffioen-roose@wur.nl
authors.forename: Sanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Griffioen-Roose
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mars
authors.forename: Els
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Siebelink
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Finlayson
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tomé
authors.forename: Cees
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Graaf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004032:Diet; D018753:Diet, Protein-Restricted; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins