Acute Effects of Dietary Oatmeal on Serum Levels of N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamines and Their Metabolites.

N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (NAPEs) and their active metabolites, N-acyl-ethanolamides (NAEs) are lipid satiety factors that are normally biosynthesized in the intestinal tract in response to food intake. Reduced levels of NAPEs and NAEs have been found in obese individuals, so that increasing plasma NAPE and NAEs levels may be beneficial to obese individuals trying to lose weight or to keep off weight gain after losing weight. While NAPEs are endogenously synthesized by mammals in their intestinal tract, many other organisms, including plants, also biosynthesize NAPEs. Recent screening of a wide range of foods by our lab demonstrated that oatmeal (Regular Instant Oatmeal) had very large amounts of NAPEs (0.17 mg NAPE / g dry oatmeal), suggesting that consumption of oatmeal may be a straightforward mechanism for elevating plasma NAPE and NAE levels in obese individuals. Based on our previous mouse studies with synthetic NAPE and with bacteria biosynthesizing NAPE, we hypothesize that a dose of oatmeal sufficient to deliver 0.135 mg NAPE per kg body should be sufficient to double plasma NAE levels from baseline, thereby inducing satiety and increasing basal metabolic rate. For a 100 kg person, 80 grams of dry regular instant oatmeal (2 servings) provides this 0.135 mg / kg dose. (The dose of dry oatmeal per person = (body weight in kg / 100 kg)* 80 g dry oatmeal. Thus for 50 kg person, 40 g dry oatmeal (1 serving) provides the required dose.) This amount of dry oatmeal is converted to the test meal by adding sufficient water to overtop oatmeal by about 1 cm (or to consistency desired by volunteer) and then microwaving for ~3-4 minutes on high. In the initial testing, no additives such as butter, cream, or brown sugar should be used in preparation or serving oatmeal. Water can be consumed ad lib.