Acute effects of hemp protein consumption on glycemic and satiety control: results of 2 randomized crossover trials

Research investigating hemp protein consumption on glycemic response is limited. The effects of hemp protein consumption on blood glucose (BG), insulin, and satiety compared with soybean protein and a carbohydrate control were examined. Two acute randomized repeated-measures crossover experiments were conducted. In both, participants consumed the following isocaloric treatments: 40 g of hemp protein (hemp40), 20 g of hemp protein (hemp20), 40 g of soybean protein (soy40), 20 g of soybean protein (soy20), and a carbohydrate control. In experiments 1 (n = 27) and 2 (n = 16), appetite and BG were measured before (0–60 min, pre-pizza) and after a pizza meal (80–200 min, post-pizza). In experiment 1, food intake was measured at 60 min by ad libitum meal; in experiment 2 a fixed meal was provided (based on body weight) and insulin was measured pre-pizza and post-pizza. In both experiments, BG response was affected by treatment (p < 0.01), time (p < 0.001) and time-by-treatment (p < 0.001) from 0–200 min. Protein treatments lowered 0–60-min BG overall mean and area under the curve compared with control (p < 0.05) dose-dependently. In experiment 2, hemp40 and soy40 lowered (p < 0.05) overall mean insulin concentrations compared with hemp20, soy20, and control pre-meal. Results suggest that hemp protein, like soybean, dose-dependently lowers postprandial BG and insulin concentrations compared with a carbohydrate control. Clinical trial registry: NCT02366598 (experiment 1) and NCT02458027 (experiment 2). Novelty: Hemp protein concentrate dose-dependently leads to lower postprandial BG response compared with a carbohydrate control. No differences were seen between hemp and soy protein.