American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 20, 52-55, Copyright © 1967 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Plasma Amino Acid Levels in Subjects Fed Isonitrogenous Diets Containing Different Proportions of Fat and Carbohydrate

¹ From the School of Public Health and the Department of Medicine, University of California Center for Health Sciences, and the Veterans Administration Center, Los Angeles

Six subjects were fed either high carbohydrate or high fat diets each containing 21.5 g of N/day during alternate periods of study. When the subjects were receiving the high fat diet they excreted more urinary N than when they were given the high carbohydrate diet. The plasma amino acid levels as measured during postabsorption did not change significantly during the 6-day period of ingesting the high carbohydrate diet. When the high fat diet was fed, the concentration of each of the three branched chain amino acids in plasma was elevated significantly, the alanine value decreased slightly and the amount of -aminobutyric acid was increased. It is suggested that an elevated level of branched chain amino acids in plasma during postabsorption might be a useful indicator of enhanced gluconeogenesis.

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