Dextrose, appetite and GDF15 in older and younger women
What it found
In a small trial, older women's GDF15 rose after drinking dextrose and their appetite rose less when GDF15 rose more.
Younger women showed no such link.
What they found
Studies in people
Appetite after dextrose
After the dextrose drink, appetite increased in both older and younger women over the 4 hours.
Appetite after protein
After the high-protein meal, appetite rose in younger women from 120 to 240 minutes, but stayed low in older women. At the end, older women felt hungrier after dextrose than after protein.
GDF15 after dextrose
GDF15 rose in older women from 60 to 240 minutes after the dextrose drink, but not in younger women. Older women's GDF15 was higher after dextrose than after protein at 120 and 240 minutes.
GDF15 and appetite link
In older women only, a bigger rise in GDF15 after dextrose went with a smaller rise in appetite.
GLP-1 and blood sugar
GLP-1 rose after both meals in both age groups and did not differ between meals. Blood glucose and insulin changed over time in both groups, and older women's insulin response differed between the two meals.
What the authors conclude
“In summary, acute GDF15 response differed between older and younger women.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the GDF15 response to a meal differed between older and younger women.
- They say the link between appetite and GDF15 after dextrose in older women supports the idea that high GDF15 levels reduce appetite.
- They suggest future studies in people with GDF15 levels above 1200 pg/mL might show a clearer effect on appetite after eating.
How it was done
The authors wanted to know whether the higher GDF15 levels often seen in older age change after a meal and affect appetite, which is not known in people.
They gave 20 older women (average age 73.7) and 20 younger women (average age 25.7) either a dextrose drink (50 g dextrose, 182 kcal) or a high-protein meal (450 kcal) after an overnight fast. They measured GDF15, GLP-1, glucose and insulin in blood and asked the women to rate their appetite before and at 1, 2 and 4 hours after eating.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a small trial with 10 women per group for each meal, so the results may not apply to all older or younger women.
- Appetite was rated by the women themselves, which is subjective.
- The study cannot show what happens in men, since men were excluded.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Potsdam, Germany; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany
The paper
- Title
- The Effect of Dextrose or Protein Ingestion on Circulating Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Appetite in Older Compared to Younger Women
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Herpich C, Lehmann S, Kochlik B, et al (2022). The Effect of Dextrose or Protein Ingestion on Circulating Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Appetite in Older Compared to Younger Women. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu14194066Free full textPubMed 36235718DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error