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The Influence of the Nitrogen Content of the Diet on the Calorie Balances of Pre-School Children¹

One Figure

Section of Home Economics, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, East Lansing

1. Five pre-school children served as subjects for two long-time balance experiments, in each of which they received two diets, the first containing 3 and the second 4 gm. of protein per kilogram of body weight.

2. The increase in the protein content of the diets did not change the constant level of calorie utilization. Therefore, preliminary periods before the high protein diets seemed unnecessary in these experiments.

3. The children in each experiment reacted in the same manner, although there were slight differences in the results of the two experiments.

4. The period-to-period variations for excretory values remained exceedingly constant on both diets and the absorption and retention figures varied in the same manner and to the same degree as the intake values.

5. The change from the 3- to the 4-gm. protein diet affected calorie balance as follows: (a) It increased the nitrogen content of the excreta, thus increasing the actual number of calories eliminated. (b) It increased the average proportion of the intake calories eliminated from 7.3 to 12.0%. Thus, subtracting 10% from the intake values to care for excretory losses does not always give accurate results. (c) It reduced the actual number, as well as the percentage, of the intake calories available for body needs, but at the same time it produced greater weight gains in the children.

² Some of the data reported in this paper were presented by Jeanne M. Voorhees in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of science, Michigan State College.

³ Some of these data were presented before the American Home Economics Association, Chicago, Illinois, June, 1935.

Manuscript received 2 September 1939.