Short-term satiety in preschool children: a comparison between high protein meal and a high complex carbohydrate meal

The aim of this study was to investigate whether a high protein meal has a different effect on short-term satiety in preschool children than a high carbohydrate meal by measuring their intake of a subsequent meal. Subjects were 35 normal preschool children of both genders aged 5 to 6 years. All children were healthy and randomly chosen from those who were attending to a day-care center where they received feeding at three meal times: breakfast, lunch and teatime. Children were weighed with light clothes following standard recommendations. They were normal according to the weight for height index, using the NCHS standards. Two meals with different levels of protein and carbohydrate and equal energy contents were assayed at lunch. The lunches were cooked dishes made from common ingredients. The high carbohydrate meal was consumed in greater amount than the high protein meal (P < 0.01) and a significantly greater energy intake was observed (P < 0.01). Food and energy intakes at teatime were greater with the high carbohydrate meal, but only the energy intake was significant (P < 0.05). When subjects consumed the high protein meal during lunch, they ate a significantly lower amount of protein in the subsequent meal, but the carbohydrate intake was similar. The long-term effects of a high protein diet remain to be investigated before recommending of a high protein for obese children.