Endogenous Nitrogen Excretion in Male Highlanders of Papua New Guinea

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Abstract
Endogenous nitrogen excretion was examined in highlanders of Papua New Guinea. Eight highlanders were fed a semisynthetic protein-free diet with about 49 kcal/kg of energy for 11 days. At the end of this period they excreted 29.2 ± 4.0 mg N/kg of urinary nitrogen and 13.9 ± 2.5 mg N/kg of fecal nitrogen per day. When the values were expressed per basal metabolic rate (BMR), they were 1.25 ± 0.19 mg N/kcal BMR for urine and 0.59 ± 0.08 mg N/kcal BMR for feces. The total amount was calculated as 43.1 ± 4.3 mg N/kg (1.84 ± 0.18 mg N/kcal BMR). Endogenous urinary nitrogen excretion in highlanders was the lowest so far reported; the effects of ethnic and nutritional backgrounds on obligatory urinary N loss were examined but no clear explanation was found for the highlanders' low value.