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. 2022 Sep 30;14(19):4066.
doi: 10.3390/nu14194066.

The Effect of Dextrose or Protein Ingestion on Circulating Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Appetite in Older Compared to Younger Women

Catrin Herpich  1   2   3 , Stephanie Lehmann  1 , Bastian Kochlik  3 , Maximilian Kleinert  4   5   6 , Susanne Klaus  1   7 , Ursula Müller-Werdan  2   8 , Kristina Norman  1   2   3   9
Affiliations

The Effect of Dextrose or Protein Ingestion on Circulating Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Appetite in Older Compared to Younger Women

Catrin Herpich et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a stress signal that can be induced by protein restriction and is associated with reduced food intake. Anorexia of aging, insufficient protein intake as well as high GDF15 concentrations often occur in older age, but it is unknown whether GDF15 concentrations change acutely after meal ingestion and affect appetite in older individuals. After an overnight fast, appetite was assessed in older (n = 20; 73.7 ± 6.30 years) and younger (n = 20; 25.7 ± 4.39 years) women with visual analogue scales, and concentrations of circulating GDF15 and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) were quantified before and at 1, 2 and 4 h after ingestion of either dextrose (182 kcal) or a mixed protein-rich meal (450 kcal). In response to dextrose ingestion, appetite increased in both older and younger women, whereas GDF15 concentrations increased only in the older group. In older women, appetite response was negatively correlated with the GDF15 response (rho = -0.802, p = 0.005). Following high-protein ingestion, appetite increased in younger women, but remained low in the old, while GDF15 concentrations did not change significantly in either age group. GLP-1 concentrations did not differ between age groups or test meals. In summary, acute GDF15 response differed between older and younger women. Associations of postprandial appetite and GDF15 following dextrose ingestion in older women suggest a reduced appetite response when the GDF15 response is high, thus supporting the proposed anorectic effects of high GDF15 concentrations.

Keywords: GDF15; GLP-1; aging; anorexia of aging; postprandial.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Correlation of baseline appetite and baseline (A) GDF15 (older: r = −0.488, p = 0.029; younger: r = −0.228, p = 0.347) and (B) GLP-1 concentrations (older: older, r = 0.461, p = 0.041; younger: r = 0.227, p = 0.350). GLP-1 was logarithmized for normalization. Correlations of GLP-1 were calculated using log-transformed values but are shown as untransformed values for better visualization. Closed circles represent older women, open triangles younger women.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Postprandial appetite (A), GDF15 (B) and GLP-1 (C) concentrations in older and younger women ((D,E,F), respectively) following dextrose (closed circles) or protein (open circles) ingestion. GLP-1 concentrations were logarithmized for normalization. Repeated measures ANOVA, data are shown as mean ± SD. * indicates significant difference to 240 min, ** to 120 min, separately for both test meals. Postprandial changes of GLP-1 concentrations were calculated using log-transformed values but are shown as untransformed values for better visualization. n = 10 per group; n = 9 in younger high-protein group. Closed circles represent older women, open circles younger women.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Postprandial glucose (A) and insulin (B) concentrations in older and younger women ((C,D) respectively) following dextrose (closed circles) and high protein (open triangles ingestion. Repeated measures ANOVA, data are shown as mean ± SD. n = 10 per group; n = 9 in the younger high-protein group. Closed circles represent older women, open triangles younger women.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlation of appetite iAUC and GDF15 iAUC after dextrose ingestion in older (rho = −0.802, p = 0.005) and younger women (rho = −0.215, p = 0.550). iAUC: incremental area under the curve. Closed circles represent older women, open triangles younger women.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Overview of selected shared functions between GDF-15 and GLP-1. Arrows pointing up indicate enhancing of, arrows pointing down refer to a downregulation. Green refers to GDF15 functions, blue to GLP-1. Created with https://biorender.com/ (accessed on 23 September 2022).
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