Hunger and satiety responses to diets enriched with cottonseed oil vs. olive oil

Studies suggest that the type of dietary fat consumed habitually may modulate appetite and further influence weight management. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an 8-week diet intervention enriched with either cottonseed oil (CSO; polyunsaturated fat-rich) or olive oil (OO; monounsaturated fat-rich) on appetite responses in adults with high cholesterol. This was a parallel design, randomized partial outpatient feeding trial designed to provide approximately 60% of participants daily energy needs with ∼30% of energy needs as CSO (n = 21, BMI 27.3 ± 0.92 kg/m², age 53 ± 2y) or OO (n = 21, BMI 27.6 ± 1.20 kg/m², age 54 ± 2y). A high saturated fat meal challenge was completed at pre- and post-intervention visits with 5 h postprandial blood draws and visual analog scales (VAS) for cholecystokinin (CCK), peptide YY (PYY), ghrelin, and subjective appetite, respectively. Participants also completed VAS questionnaires hourly and recorded dietary intake after leaving the lab for the remainder of the day. There was a greater increase in fasting CCK (CSO: 0.54 ± 0.03 to 0.56 ± 0.04; OO: 0.63 ± 0.07 to 0.60 ± 0.06 ng/ml p = 0.05), a greater suppression of postprandial ghrelin (p < 0.01), and a greater increase in postprandial VAS fullness (p = 0.04) in CSO compared to OO. Additionally, there was a greater decrease in self-reported energy intake in CSO compared to OO (CSO: 2464 ± 123 to 2115 ± 123; OO: 2263 ± 147 to 2,434 ± 184 kcal/d p = 0.02). Only postprandial VAS prospective consumption showed greater suppression (p = 0.03) in OO vs. CSO. Altogether, these data show that CSO has a greater effect on appetite suppression than OO diet enrichment and may be beneficial for weight maintenance, especially in a population at-risk for chronic disease. Registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04397055.