Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 53, 874-878, Copyright © 1981 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

The mechanisms of nitrogen sparing in fasting supplemented by protein and carbohydrate

BR Bistrian, M Sherman and V Young

Estimated rates of total body protein synthesis breakdown, and amino nitrogen flux were determined in five obese females using [15N]glycine. The subjects were fed a baseline diet of 1.5 g protein/kg ideal BW and 1602 +/- 146 Cal total for at least 3 days, followed by 3 weeks where the sole caloric intake was a mixed diet of 0.8 g meat protein and 0.7 g carbohydrate/kg ideal BW and approximately 437 +/- 44 Cal. Amino nitrogen flux, total body protein synthesis, and breakdown values were 289 +/- 56, 198 +/- 37, and 202 +/- 47 g protein/day (187 +/- 24, 129 +/- 19, and 131 +/- 21 g protein/g creatinine) initially and fell significantly (P less than 0.01) to 192 +/- 30 (P less than 0.005), 138 +/- 27 (P less than 0.01), and 146 +/- 25 (P less than 0.01) g protein/day [125 +/- 13 (P less than 0.001), 90 +/- 14 (P less than 0.005), and 95 +/- 11 (P less than 0.005) g protein/g creatinine] by the final 60 h of the third week. Nitrogen balance remained significantly negative (P less than 0.01) during each week of the mixed diet and overall (--3.3 +/- 0.9 g N/day; P less than 0.01). Thus, total body protein synthesis and the net balance between synthesis and catabolism are not maintained with this diet.