Objective: A growing body of evidence supports an antiobesity effect of dairy products; however, the mechanisms remain unclear. The objective of this study was to explore possible intestinal mechanisms by which dairy delivers an antiobesity effect. The human intestinal cell line, NCI-H716, was used to test the hypothesis that branched-chain amino acids and dairy proteins regulate satiety hormone secretion and modulate genes involved in fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism.
Methods: In dose-response (0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, and 3.0%) studies, the effect of leucine, isoleucine, valine, skim milk, casein, and whey on glucagon-like peptide-1 release and the expression of selected genes were tested.
Results: Leucine, isoleucine, skim milk, and casein stimulated glucagon-like peptide-1 release (P < 0.05). Isoleucine and whey downregulated the expression of intestinal-type fatty acid binding protein (i-FABP), fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4), Niemann-Pick C-1-like-1 protein (NPC1L1), acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FAS), sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2), and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR; P < 0.05). Leucine and valine downregulated the expression of NPC1L1, ACC, FAS, SREBP-2, and HMGCR (P < 0.05). Casein downregulated the expression of i-FABP, FATP4, ACC, FAS, SREBP-2, and HMGCR (P < 0.05). Skim milk downregulated the expression of ACC, FAS, and SREBP-2, but not i-FABP, FATP4, and NPC1L1.
Conclusion: This work suggests that the antiobesity effect of dairy may be mediated, at least in part, by integration of events that promote glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion and inhibit expression of genes involved in intestinal fatty acid and cholesterol absorption and synthesis.