Mycoprotein, energy intake and insulin in overweight adults
What it found
In overweight and obese adults, a high-mycoprotein meal led to eating 10% less at the next meal and lower insulin release than a chicken meal.
Blood sugar, gut hormones and energy use were about the same.
What they found
Studies in people
Energy intake at next meal
After the high-mycoprotein meal, people ate 10% (280 kJ or 67 kcal) less at the next meal than after the chicken meal. Low and medium amounts of mycoprotein made no difference.
24-hour energy intake
Over 24 hours, mycoprotein meals led to eating 787 kJ (188 kcal) less than chicken meals, a 9% reduction. The difference was significant at the low amount and close to significant at the high amount.
Insulin release
Mycoprotein meals led to lower insulin release than chicken meals. The reduction was 8% at the low amount, 12% at the medium amount and 21% at the high amount.
Blood sugar and gut hormones
Blood sugar, GLP-1 and PYY levels were about the same after mycoprotein and chicken meals. Stomach emptying and energy expenditure also did not differ.
Appetite ratings
There was a trend toward more fullness after mycoprotein, but hunger, desire to eat and prospective food intake were similar to chicken. The mycoprotein meal was rated slightly less pleasant, though both meals scored above 60 out of 100.
Metabolic markers
Urine and blood samples showed different metabolic patterns after mycoprotein compared with chicken. After mycoprotein, a ketone body called beta-hydroxybutyrate was linked to fullness, while after chicken, a paracetamol breakdown product was linked to fullness.
What the authors conclude
“Mycoprotein reduces energy intake and insulin release in overweight volunteers.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that mycoprotein reduces energy intake and insulin release in overweight volunteers.
- They state that the mechanism does not involve changes in PYY and GLP-1.
- They say that longer-term studies are needed to investigate the potential of mycoprotein in the prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
How it was done
The authors wanted to know whether mycoprotein affects appetite and blood sugar control in overweight and obese people, and how it might work. Previous studies in lean people had shown effects, but results in overweight people were unclear.
They ran two randomised controlled trials. In part A, 36 overweight or obese volunteers ate meals with low (44 g), medium (88 g) or high (132 g) mycoprotein, or matched chicken meals, on six occasions. In part B, 14 volunteers ate the high-mycoprotein or chicken meal on two occasions, and the researchers measured stomach emptying, energy use and blood markers.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a short-term study, so it cannot show whether eating mycoprotein regularly would lead to lasting weight loss or health benefits.
- The study cannot show whether the effects on insulin or energy intake would be the same in lean people or in people with diabetes.
- The study was not able to explain exactly how mycoprotein reduces energy intake and insulin release.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Wellcome Trust; Medical Research Council; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Imperial College London, UK
The paper
- Title
- Mycoprotein reduces energy intake and postprandial insulin release without altering glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide tyrosine-tyrosine concentrations in healthy overweight and obese adults: a randomised-controlled trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Bottin JH, Swann JR, Cropp E, et al (2016). Mycoprotein reduces energy intake and postprandial insulin release without altering glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide tyrosine-tyrosine concentrations in healthy overweight and obese adults: a randomised-controlled trial. The British journal of nutrition. doi:10.1017/S0007114516001872Free full textPubMed 27198187DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error