Amino Acid Balance and Imbalance

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Abstract
An imbalance of amino acids can be produced in diets containing 8% of casein and L-cystine or DL-methionine by the addition of 0.36% of DL-threonine. This imbalance causes a depression in the growth rate of rats which can be corrected with either niacin or tryptophan. In the present studies, of a variety of amino acids tested, only threonine was effective in causing a growth depression. Phenylalanine, previously found to cause growth depression, was not effective, nor were leucine, lysine, valine, isoleucine, glutamic acid or arginine unless they were in combination with threonine.