Question 23M.3.SL.TZ1.16
Date | May 2023 | Marks available | [Maximum mark: 6] | Reference code | 23M.3.SL.TZ1.16 |
Level | SL | Paper | 3 | Time zone | TZ1 |
Command term | Explain, Identify, Outline | Question number | 16 | Adapted from | N/A |
Doctors investigated the effect of diets with different protein content on appetite for food in overweight males. One group followed a diet with normal protein (NP group) and a second group followed a diet with high protein (HP group). Participants were asked to record their perceptions of appetite every hour during 15 waking hours.
[Source: Reproduced from Leidy, H.J., Tang, M., Armstrong, C.L., Martin, C.B., Campbell, W.W., 2011. The effects of consuming
frequent, higher protein meals on appetite and satiety during weight loss in overweight/obese men. Obesity, 19(4),
pp. 818–824, with permission from Wiley.]
Identify the effect on appetite of changing from an NP diet to an HP diet.
[1]
high protein/HP diet decreases appetite;
Accept vice versa but not negative correlation
The majority of candidates answered correctly.

Outline the control of appetite by the brain.
[2]
- control is located in hypothalamus;
- reduces or increases desire to eat when stimulated by hormones;
- leptin secreted by adipose tissue;
- leptin depresses appetite;
- other example;
For mpe accept verified examples of other hormones e.g. insulin, glucagon, ghrelin, CCK, PYY3-36
Most knew the hypothalamus controls appetite but some mistakenly thought it produced the controlling hormones. Leptin and ghrelin were most often mentioned.

Explain the reason that a protein-rich diet would not be recommended to obese adults suffering from phenylketonuria (PKU).
[3]
- HP diet will suppress appetite for obese adults;
- protein-rich diet may contain (higher levels of) phenylalanine;
- people with PKU cannot convert phenylalanine to tyrosine;
- (people with PKU) lack phenylalanine hydroxylase;
- high levels of phenylalanine build up in blood/body
OR
high levels of phenylalanine are harmful to sufferers of PKU;
There was a wide range of knowledge and a lot of misspellings of the amino acids such that awarding with benefit of doubt became difficult. The link from the graph to obese adults was rarely recognised.
