CHAPTER 13: Food Peptides in Energy Metabolism

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus, a chronic disease characterized by marked alterations in energy homeostasis, is increasing at rapid rates globally, fuelled in part by the obesity epidemic. Although diabetes can be managed using multi-drug therapies, the process is costly and is associated with negative side effects. Therefore, there is growing support for research examining the potential use of functional foods, specifically dietary peptides, for the treatment of diabetes in a safer and more cost-effective manner. This chapter summarizes and interprets the current understanding of bioactive food peptide production and analysis. Furthermore, the effects of milk-, soybean- and egg-derived bioactive peptides on energy and glucose homeostasis are examined in preclinical and clinical models of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.