Amelioration of Insulin Resistance by Whey Protein in a High-Fat Diet-Induced Pediatric Obesity Male Mouse Model.

Abstract

This study examined whey protein's impact on insulin resistance in a high-fat diet-induced pediatric obesity mouse model. Pregnant mice were fed high-fat diets, and male pups continued this diet until 8 weeks old, then were split into high-fat, whey, and casein diet groups. At 12 weeks old, their body weight, fasting blood glucose (FBG), blood insulin level (IRI), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), liver lipid metabolism gene expression, and liver metabolites were compared. The whey group showed significantly lower body weight than the casein group at 12 weeks old (= 0.034). FBG was lower in the whey group compared to the high-fat diet group (< 0.01) and casein group (= 0.058); IRI and HOMA-IR were reduced in the whey group compared to the casein group (= 0.02,< 0.01,< 0.01, respectively). The levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor &#x3b1; and hormone-sensitive lipase were upregulated in the whey group compared to the casein group (< 0.01,= 0.03). Metabolomic analysis revealed that the levels of taurine and glycine, both known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, were upregulated in the whey group in the liver tissue (< 0.01,< 0.01). The intake of whey protein was found to improve insulin resistance in a high-fat diet-induced pediatric obesity mouse model.