This is a revised application, the purpose of which is to test the hypothesis that the physiological requirements in adult humans for most of the nutritionally indispensable amino acids are considerably higher than suggested by current national and international recommendations. This hypothesis is supported on theoretical grounds and by initial data obtained from our recent series of investigations on the kinetics of metabolism of specific indispensable amino acids in adult humans receiving graded intakes of the test amino acid. We seek additional, definitive evidence to establish the validity, or otherwise, of this hypothesis.
The specific aims are: 1. To include a tracer balance technique, in experiments designed to replicate, as closely as possible, the classical investigations on which currently accepted estimations of adult amino acid requirements largely have been based. 2. To validate further the concept of whole body tracer balance as a means of accurately quantifying the daily irreversible oxidation (loss) of specific indispensable amino acids. 3. To further explore the hypothesis that a reduced rate of body protein turnover occurs when amino acid intake is at current requirement levels, despite the possibility that overall body amino acid balance might be achieved at such low intakes. This will be accomplished by conducting relatively """"""""long-term"""""""" metabolic nutritional studies, which include measures of lean body mass, immunocompetence and plasma proteins as indices of protein nutritional status, and the metabolic response to exercise. The long-term objective of these studies is, through and improved understanding of the characteristics and regulation of the integrative aspects of body nitrogen and amino acid metabolism, to develop more appropriate tools for the diagnosis of nutritional inadequacy, nutritional requirements and nutritional status. Our more immediate purpose is to try to define why the earlier and more classical estimates of amino acid requirements are so different from those based on more recent investigations of human amino acid kinetics.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DK042101-03
Application #
3243101
Study Section
Nutrition Study Section (NTN)
Project Start
1990-08-01
Project End
1993-07-31
Budget Start
1992-08-01
Budget End
1993-07-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department
Type
Organized Research Units
DUNS #
City
Cambridge
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02139
Kurpad, Anura V; Regan, Meredith M; Raj, Tony D S et al. (2006) The daily phenylalanine requirement of healthy Indian adults. Am J Clin Nutr 83:1331-6
Kurpad, Anura V; Regan, Meredith M; Raj, Tony et al. (2006) Branched-chain amino acid requirements in healthy adult human subjects. J Nutr 136:256S-63S
Kurpad, Anura V; Regan, Meredith M; Raj, Tony D S et al. (2005) The daily valine requirement of healthy adult Indians determined by the 24-h indicator amino acid balance approach. Am J Clin Nutr 82:373-9
Kurpad, Anura V; Regan, Meredith M; Varalakshmi, Sureka et al. (2004) Daily requirement for total sulfur amino acids of chronically undernourished Indian men. Am J Clin Nutr 80:95-100
Kurpad, Anura V; Regan, Meredith M; Varalakshmi, Sureka et al. (2004) Effect of cystine on the methionine requirement of healthy Indian men determined by using the 24-h indicator amino acid balance approach. Am J Clin Nutr 80:1526-35
Kurpad, Anura V; Regan, Meredith M; Varalakshmi, Sureka et al. (2003) Daily methionine requirements of healthy Indian men, measured by a 24-h indicator amino acid oxidation and balance technique. Am J Clin Nutr 77:1198-205
Kurpad, Anura V; Regan, Meredith M; Raj, Tony et al. (2003) Leucine requirement and splanchnic uptake of leucine in chronically undernourished adult Indian subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 77:861-7
Kurpad, Anura V; Regan, Meredith M; Nazareth, Dilip et al. (2003) Intestinal parasites increase the dietary lysine requirement in chronically undernourished Indian men. Am J Clin Nutr 78:1145-51
Kurpad, Anura V; Regan, Meredith M; Raj, Tony et al. (2003) Lysine requirements of chronically undernourished adult Indian men, measured by a 24-h indicator amino acid oxidation and balance technique. Am J Clin Nutr 77:101-8
Rand, William M; Pellett, Peter L; Young, Vernon R (2003) Meta-analysis of nitrogen balance studies for estimating protein requirements in healthy adults. Am J Clin Nutr 77:109-27

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