(P16-038-23) Interindividual Variability in Postprandial Hunger Sensation – Association With Fasting Metabolism of Amino Acids, Bile Acids and Lipids

Objectives: Explore the relationship of subjective feelings of hunger with hormones and metabolites related to appetite and energy metabolism after a mixed macronutrient meal challenge (MC).

Methods: Women aged 19 – 65y and with BMI 18 – 44 kg/m² (n =158) were provided a liquid MC after a 12-hour fast. Subjective feelings of hunger, fullness, desire to eat, and prospective food consumption were measured at fasting and periodically over 6h postprandial timeframe using 100mm visual analogue scale. Fasting levels of plasma bile acids, primary metabolites and complex lipids were assessed by tandem mass spectrometry using commercial Biocrates p180 metabolomics kits. Fasting and postprandial levels of gut hormones were measured using Multiplex ELISA kits. Subjects were classified using unsupervised hierarchical clustering of fasting and postprandial hunger scores. Analysis of covariance was used to test for mean differences in plasma metabolites between the clusters. Age, BMI, body fat mass, and percentage of calories consumed were used as covariates. Partial least square discriminant analysis on clusters was use to capture multivariate and covariate structure of metabolites.

Results: Four distinct phenotypic clusters were identified based on fasting and postprandial hunger. Major differences between the 4 clusters were related to differences in hunger scores at fasting and the magnitude of change to the MC. Group discrimination was independent of age, BMI, body anthropometrics and energy expenditure (p > 0.05). Clusters differed in the area under the curve for desire to eat and fasting levels of amino acids and bile acids. Among subjects with high fasting hunger score, postprandial hunger response was defined by the ratio of ghrelin AUC, fasting branched-chain and aromatic AA, TG, and PUFA.

Conclusions: Our data demonstrate the high interindividual variability in hunger perception after MC. Distinct phenotypes can be discriminated by fasting metabolism with bile acids, lipids and amino acids interacting with gut hormones to modulate appetite sensations. This potential link between primary metabolism and hunger sensations suggests that biomarker-dependent satiety phenotyping might allow for directed investigations into behavior - metabolism connections.

Funding Sources: Funding was provided by the USDA.