Lamb and soy protein with potato, pasta and rice meals
What it found
In 15 healthy people, adding either lamb or soy protein to potato, pasta or rice meals lowered the post-meal blood sugar rise and increased insulin, and both proteins reduced appetite.
The type of protein made little difference.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar after meals
Both lamb and soy protein reduced the post-meal blood sugar response compared with the carbohydrate staples eaten alone. Soy protein lowered it slightly more than lamb, but the differences were small and not consistently significant.
Insulin response
Both lamb and soy protein increased insulin responses compared with the staples alone. The increase was greater for pasta and rice than for potato.
Appetite
Both protein sources suppressed appetite to a similar extent compared with the carbohydrate-only meals. Lamb and soy were very similar in their effects on appetite.
Potato versus pasta and rice
Potato on its own caused a significantly higher blood sugar response than pasta or rice. Adding protein reduced these differences, particularly the higher response to potato.
Protein type
The specific protein source (lamb versus soy) had only a minor influence on blood sugar, insulin and appetite responses. The presence of protein had a dominant effect.
What the authors conclude
“These findings indicate that overall protein intake, rather than protein type, primarily influences post-meal metabolic and appetite responses in this study.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that adding protein to carbohydrate meals significantly affected post-meal blood glucose levels, insulin release, and appetite.
- They state that the specific type of protein, whether lamb or soy, had minimal impact.
- They indicate that overall protein intake, rather than protein type, primarily influences post-meal metabolic and appetite responses in this study.
How it was done
The authors wanted to know whether lamb protein and soy protein differ in how they affect blood sugar, insulin and appetite after a carbohydrate meal, and whether the protein source changes how different carbohydrate foods behave.
Fifteen healthy volunteers (aged 18 to 65) each ate meals containing potato, pasta or rice, either alone or with equal amounts of lamb or soy protein, in a randomised order. Blood glucose and insulin were measured for 150 minutes after each meal, and appetite was rated at 0, 60 and 150 minutes.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a small pilot study with 15 people, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- It only looked at immediate post-meal responses, so it cannot show long-term effects.
- The findings may not be applicable to individuals with impaired glucose regulation.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Bioeconomy Science Institute (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- Bioeconomy Science Institute, New Zealand
The paper
- Title
- Effect of Lamb and Soy Protein on Postprandial Glycaemic, Insulin and Appetite Responses to Potato, Pasta and Rice in Macronutrient-Equalised Meals-A Randomised Pilot Human Intervention Study
- 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
- Mishra SS, Stoklosinski H, Hedderley D, et al (2026). Effect of Lamb and Soy Protein on Postprandial Glycaemic, Insulin and Appetite Responses to Potato, Pasta and Rice in Macronutrient-Equalised Meals-A Randomised Pilot Human Intervention Study. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu18142351Free full textPubMed 42514420DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error