Rich in protein, appetite suppressant food… many virtues are attributed to skyr, an Icelandic dairy product, but for the experts at UFC-Que Choisir, they would be exaggerated.
- UFC-Que Choisir highlights skyr, an Icelandic dairy product. For the association, its health benefits are exaggerated.
- The French generally consume enough protein and do not need the additional intake promoted by brands.
- “The only ones for whom skyrs could be a little useful are seniors,” estimates one of the experts interviewed.
Skyr is an Icelandic dairy specialty that is increasingly present on the French table, seduced by its richness in protein and its appetite suppressant effect touted on the packaging. But in his note of November 2, 2023the UFC-Que Choisir association puts a damper on the virtues attributed to it.
Skyr: a truly beneficial protein intake?
During its investigation, the consumer defense association noticed that skyr is generally sold “between 3 and 6 times more expensive than low-fat white cheese”. And for her, the composition of the product does not justify this significant difference. Although it indeed contains on average 30% more protein than traditional low-fat bench cheese, healthy people benefit little from this additional intake.
“The vast majority of French people, including vegetarians, ingest more than enough protein”, says Stéphane Walrand, researcher in human nutrition at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Inrae), interviewed by UFC Que Choisir. His colleague, Claire Gaudichon, expert in nutrition and eating behavior, notes for her part that it is also “rarely useful to increase it, even if you practice physical activity regularly”.
“The only ones for whom skyrs might be of some use are seniors, entrusts Stéphane Walrand to the association, because from the age of sixty, we sometimes lack protein, which promotes muscle wasting and increases the risk of loss of autonomy with age. A few grams more per serving are, in this case, always good to have.”
Proteins appetite suppressant : an effect not clearly demonstrated
What about the appetite suppressant effect of proteins promised by the brands selling this dairy product? For the specialists interviewed, it is not “clearly demonstrated”. Furthermore, research carried out on the subject has established that the appetite suppressant effect of proteins is only observed above 20 g per serving. However, the skyrs do not bring “only 2 or 3 g more than the average low-fat white cheese”. The rate would thus be insufficient to “have an effect on satiety”, according to experts.
Another problematic point: the consistency of the skyr. Proteins cause the texture of products to thicken. Ciaran Forde of Wageningen University (The Netherlands)also interviewed by UFC-Que choose, notice that “thicker pastas are consumed in smaller quantities”. Result : the rate of proteins ingested by exercise enthusiastskyrs is therefore not necessarily higher than with a standard yogurt… and hunger can, by domino effect, arrive just as quickly.
