Comparison of the effect of medium-chain fatty acids and long-chain fatty acids on postprandial appetite and lipemia: a randomised crossover trial.

Abstract

Background: Postprandial lipemia (PPL) has been recognised as a cardiovascular disease risk factor. Appetite and PPL can be influenced by the length of saturated fatty acids (FAs). Thus, this study aims to investigate if different FA chain lengths have different impacts on appetite and PPL in healthy volunteers.

Methods: This is a randomised crossover single-blinded intervention study of 20 healthy adults. Coconut oil and palm oil were consumed in the form of biscuits. Blood serum samples were withdrawn after an overnight fast and 1, 2, 4 and 6 hours after eating the test meals and examined for blood lipid profile (total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides (TG)), while Friedewald's equation was used to calculate low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Visual analogue scales were used by participants to rate their appetites, and an ad libitum meal was weighed to determine the energy intake.

Results: The net area under the curve of TG and TC following the coconut oil were significantly lower than following the palm oil (P value ≤0.05). In the mean of the change in TC, LDL and HDL from the baseline, a significant difference was found after 6 hours of eating the biscuits (P value ≤0.05). The perceptions of hunger and fullness did not significantly differ between the two types of FAs. Also, the energy and macronutrient intakes were not significantly different after the two types of oil, neither at the ad libitum meal nor on the day following the treatments.

Conclusion: The selection of FA chain length may influence PPL, and thus cardiovascular disease risk in a way that is functionally significant. However, this study detected no influence of FA chain length on appetite up to 40 hours post-treatment.

Trial registration number: NCT05539742.