The Role of High-Protein Instant Ramen Noodles in Inducing and Maintaining Satiety: Acute, Randomized, Crossover Study

Objective The purpose of the study was to test if a breakfast meal of high-protein instant ramen noodles would increase satiety, reduce hunger, improve glycemic response, and reduce lunch-time energy intake compared to an isocaloric portion of standard protein instant ramen noodles. Methods A double-blind randomized crossover study was conducted. Participants were recruited from the community of Lubbock, TX. Following an overnight fast, 25 men and women (age 25 – 45 y; BMI 20 – 30 kg/m ² ) randomly completed 2 testing days that included a 71 g breakfast of high-protein (HP) ramen noodles (320 kcal; protein 20 g [25% kcal]; carbohydrates 29 g [36% kcal]; fat 14 g [39% kcal]) or 71 g breakfast of standard protein (SP) ramen noodles (311 kcal; protein 6 g [8% kcal]; carbohydrates 41 g [53% kcal]; fat 13 g [38% kcal]). Appetite and hormonal responses were collected over 5 h followed by an ad libitum buffet lunch. Mixed effect model was used to examine the effect of different factors and the conditions on each outcome. A paired t-test was used to examine differences in lunch intake parameters between the two conditions. Results A comparison of the HP vs SP breakfast conditions showed that appetite score, the primary outcome, was similar. HP led to greater reduction of the desire for prospective food consumption and reduced lunch-time energy intake compared to SP (-94kcal; 95% CI: 8.63, 179.75 kcal; p<0.04). Glucose, insulin, ghrelin, GLP-1 and PYY3-36 were not different between the treatments. Greater desire to eat something savory or something sweet was observed following HP breakfast compared to SP breakfast (p<0.05). Perceived feeling of hunger, satiety, and the desire to eat something fatty or something salty was not different between the conditions. Conclusions A breakfast of high-protein instant ramen noodles acutely decreased the desire for prospective food consumption and subsequently reduced lunch-time energy intake compared to an isocaloric standard protein instant ramen noodles breakfast. Among individuals who consume noodles, the incorporation of a high-protein version might be an effective strategy for reducing short-term food intake.