Effects of nutrients and nonnutrients on food intake

Protein, trypsin inhibitor, and fiber can alter food intake by several unique mechanisms, but there may also be some common mechanisms. For example, both poorly digested proteins and fibers like guar gum and pectin lead to an accumulation of material in the small intestine and appear to delay nutrient absorption both in terms of the time course of absorption and, within the intestine, delaying its rate of progress to more distal regions of the gut. These factors could contribute to the reduction in food intake associated with ingestion of these substances.