Enrichment of Hamburger Meatballs With Psyllium: Effects on Postprandial Lipidemia, Glycemia, Appetite, and Food Intake in a Triple-Blind Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial

Abstract

Psyllium may improve the nutritional profile of fast foods. This study enriched hamburger meatballs (HM)-a popular low-fiber fast food-with psyllium, evaluated their sensory acceptability, and examined effects on postprandial lipidemia, glycemia, food intake, hunger, and satiety. HM containing 5% and 7.5% psyllium was first tested in a triple-blind sensory panel of 12 trained dietitians; no significant differences in preference or hedonic scores (p > 0.05) supported 7.5% as suitable for further trials. A randomized, triple-blind, crossover trial with 25 healthy adults then compared psyllium-enriched HM (PEHM) to control HM (CHM). Hunger and satiety ratings were recorded hourly for 6 h; fasting and 2-h postprandial blood samples; and prospective food intake records were collected. Data were analyzed in SPSS 22.0 using parametric and nonparametric tests, post hoc comparisons, and repeated measures mixed ANOVA. PEHM, containing 7.5% psyllium, was well-tolerated and compared to CHM, it significantly reduced the postprandial increase of participants' triglyceride (p = 0.015), VLDL (p = 0.015), and glucose levels (p = 0.036). PEHM consumption also led to lower prospective energy (p = 0.009), total fat (p = 0.016), PUFA (p = 0.005), and omega-6 intake (p = 0.006) compared to control. Hunger scores were significantly lower at the 4th (p = 0.013) and 5th (p = 0.003) post-meal hours, while satiety scores were significantly higher at the 3rd (p = 0.025), 4th (p = 0.013), and 5th (p = 0.029) hours compared to CHM. These findings suggest that psyllium enrichment of fast foods can help reduce risk factors for chronic diseases without compromising sensory quality. Turkish Patent and Trademark Office registered the invention with a utility model certificate number TR2023003533Y.