Ingredientes saciantes de la Dieta Mediterránea para prevenir el sobrepeso

Abstract

Background/ Objectives Overweight and obesity represents one of the most important health problems of the 21st century, being a multifactorial metabolic disorder characterized by excess body fat that can lead to cardiovascular and coronary diseases and diabetes, among others. Our objective is to investigate possible satiating ingredients of the Mediterranean Diet to help prevent overweight and obesity. Materials and Methods This thesis consists of a series of in vitro assays and in vivo studies. On the one hand, the in vitro mineral availability of different types of biscuits and the in vitro release of satiating hormones, such as CCK and GLP-1, induced by nuts and oilseeds were studied. On the other hand, satiety was evaluated in vivo through a VAS of both biscuits and sesame seeds. In addition, it was determined the fatty acids of nuts and oilseeds, the availability of oilseed lignans, as well as the concentration of ghrelin (orexigenic hormone) via saliva collected from human volunteers testing the satiety potential of sesame seeds. Results In vitro studies showed that biscuits had good mineral availability, affecting their potential satiety effect. Regarding the released of CCK and GLP-1 induced by different Mediterranean foods, we found higher values for in walnuts and sesame seeds. In the in vivo studies, no statistically significant differences were observed in the satiating effect sesame seeds, but different types of biscuits showed differences in their satiety effect. Regarding nutritional composition and presence of bioactive compounds in the studied foods, walnuts presented the highest amount of PUFA, while the most important lignans were sesamin in sesame seeds and MATA in flax seeds. In the in vivo study about potential satiety effect of sesame seeds, we observed a lower release of ghrelin after the intake of foods that contain fibre. Conclusions The mineral content of food and its availability could play an important role in the satiety. The bioactive compounds in sesame seeds and the fatty acids in nuts and oilseeds could help maintain appetite control and suppress hunger, as they are positively related to the prevention of overweight and obesity.