Reassessment of amino acid requirements of young women on low nitrogen diets. II. Leucine, methionine, and valine

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Young college women served as experimental subjects in a series of seven experiments in which N balance on different levels of valine, leucine, and methionine intake were studied. The experimental diet provided 5 g N/subject per day and the essential amino acid levels (except for the one under study) represented twice the highest estimate reviewed by Rose. Under these conditions the requirement for all three amino acids was lower than had been reported earlier. It was shown that very low levels of the three essential amino acids were required for maintaining N equilibrium in contrast with higher levels necessary to support positive N retention. Serum transaminase concentrations of subjects receiving the amino acid diets were normal and did not rise as a result of the omission of arginine and histidine, as suggested by Kofranyi et al. (4).