Changes in the urinary metabolome accompanied alterations in body mass and composition in women with overweight – impact of high versus low protein breakfast

Abstract Introduction: Understanding why subjects with overweight and with obesity vary in their response to dietary interventions is of major interest for developing personalized strategies for body mass regulation. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between changes in the urine metabolome and body mass during a breakfast meal intervention. Furthermore, we aimed to elucidate if the baseline urine metabolome could predict the response to the two types of breakfast meals (high versus low protein) during the intervention. Methods A total of 75 young, women with overweight were randomly allocated to one of two intervention groups: 1) High-protein (HP) or 2) low-protein (LP) breakfast as part of their habitual diet during a 12-week intervention. Beside the breakfast meal, participants were instructed to eat their habitual diet and maintain their habitual physical activity level. Nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics was conducted on urine samples collected at baseline (wk 0), mid-intervention (wk 6), and at endpoint (wk 12). At baseline and endpoint, body mass was measured and DXA was used to measure lean body mass and fat mass. Results The baseline urine metabolite profile showed a slightly higher correlation (R2 = 0.56) to body mass in comparison with lean body mass (R2 = 0.51) and fat mass (R2 = 0.53). Baseline 24-h urinary excretion of trigonelline, N,N-dimethylglycine, and trimethylamine were significantly higher in individuals who responded with a reduction in body mass to the HP breakfast. Conclusions The urine metabolome could partly explain differences in the response to the HP breakfast intervention in women with overweight, indicating that the urine metabolome has the potential to unveil important information about the metabolic phenotype.