EFFECT OF ADMINISTRATION OF ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS ON UTILIZATION OF DIETARY PROTEIN IN MALNUTRITION AMONG WAR CASUALTIES 1

Abstract

In two men convalescing from severe chest wounds and one patient with infective hepatitis the supplementation of a high protein diet by the intraven. admn., daily for 6 days, of 20 g. of a mixture of the 10 essential amino acids resulted, after a latent period of 3-6 days, in an increase in N retention amounting to 2-3 times the amt. of amino N administered. This effect was compared to increasing the dietary protein in a comparable group of subjects. In this group the increased N retention never exceeded the increase in dietary protein N. The findings support the concept that the utilization of dietary protein is limited by its content of essential amino acids; for every essential amino acid by which the diet is supplemented between 2 and 3 nonessential ones become available for tissue protein synthesis.