The effect preloads of amino acid on shortterm satiety

The effect of a preload of an amino acid preparation on food intake in man was assessed in eight subjects. Each subject was given a small dose of amino acids or placebo 1/2 h before being presented with a meal. This was done in a blind, randomized fashion on five occasions for each preparation to each subject. The mean food intake of the subjects when receiving the amino acid preparation was 10% (p less than 0.01) less than the intake when receiving the placebo. When the subjects were grouped according to their variation from ideal weight, a 22.5% reduction in food intake was observed in group I (n = 4) who were greater than 5% above the ideal weight for height ratio (p less than 0.001). A 1.75% increase (NS) was seen in group II (n = 4) whose weight was within 5% of their ideal weight. These results demonstrate a modulation of satiety by small caloric doses of amino acids in overweight subjects.