The effect of buckwheat and couscous on satiety and short‐term food intake in young males
Authors: Stirling Heidi , Keddy Stephanie , Jamieson Jennifer , Grant Shannan , Luhovyy Bohdan L 
Published: November 2023

A diet rich in whole grains has been linked to multiple beneficial health outcomes, including cardiovascular health, weight loss and a decreased risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes. However, grain products differ due to their botanical origin, composition, and post‐harvest processing. While wheat is considered a dominant grain crop in Canada, the minor crops, including gluten‐free buckwheat, become popular alternatives to wheat products such as couscous. Both buckwheat groats and couscous are traditionally consumed in the form of the porridge or side dish however their acute effects on satiety and food intake remain unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the short‐term effects of couscous and buckwheat on satiety and short‐term food intake in young adult males.

Methods

in a within subject, randomized repeated measures design, 19 healthy, 18–30 y male participants were randomly assigned to consume three different treatments on three separate occasions one week apart: a water control (500 ml), cooked unground whole grain buckwheat groats (84 g dry weight: 300 kcal, 2 g fat, 10 g protein, 60 g total carbohydrate, 4 g dietary fibre) and cooked medium grain couscous (84 g dry weight: 300 kcal, 1 g fat, 10 g protein, 62 g total carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fibre). At three separate mornings, participants arrived at the laboratory after an overnight fast and consumed one of the treatments. Subsequent food intake was measured with an ad libitum pizza meal at 120 min. Subjective appetite and physical comfort were measured with visual analogue scales before and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 145 min after the treatment.

Results

There was no effect of treatment on ad libitum food intake with a pizza meal (P=0.14). There was an effect of treatment on cumulative food intake (energy from a treatment and a pizza meal) over two hours (P<0.0001). The treatments with couscous and buckwheat led to increased cumulative energy intake by 21% and 31% compared to water control, respectively. There was no difference in cumulative energy intake between the treatments with buckwheat and couscous (P= 0.31) however the treatment with couscous resulted in a higher caloric compensation (26%) compared to treatment with buckwheat (5%). There was an effect of treatment (P<0.0001), time (P<0.0001) and time × treatment interactions (P<0.0001) on average appetite. Both treatments with buckwheat and couscous significantly reduced subjective appetite over two hours compared to water control (P<0.05) although there was no difference between the treatments with buckwheat and couscous (P=0.62). There was no effect of treatment on physical comfort (P=0.71). The treatments with couscous and buckwheat resulted in lower pleasantness compared to water control (P<0.05).

Conclusion

the intake of cooked couscous and buckwheat led to the suppression of subjective appetite but not short‐term energy intake compared to energy‐free control.

Support or Funding Information

Supported by the Mount Saint Vincent University New Scholar Grant.