Journal of Nutrition Vol. 33 No. 2 February 1947, pp. 155-168
Copyright
Some Physiological Relationships of Protein, Fat, Choline, Methionine, Cystine, Nicotinic Acid and Tryptophane1
W. D. Salmon
Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Agricultural Experiment Station, Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn
- 1. The primary deficiency in diets containing 18% or less of casein was found to be labile-methyl groups unless supplementary choline or methionine was added.
- 2. The deficiency of labile methyl was aggravated by the addition of cystine or cystine and fat.
- 3. Supplementary methionine as the free amino acid was more effective than methionine combined in the casein molecule.
- 4. The second demonstrable deficiency in low-fat diets containing 18% or less of casein was nicotinic acid.
- 5. Tryptophane or a high level of casein (25%) counteracted the deficiency of nicotinic acid.
- 6. A high level of fat (30%) tended to counteract the deficiency of nicotinic acid. This was probably a nicotinic acidsparing effect as the energy metabolism shifted from carbohydrate to fat and indicates that nicotinic acid, like thiamine, functions primarily in carbohydrate metabolism.
- 7. Only when the deficiencies of labile methyl and nicotinic acid were remedied, was a deficiency of cystine (or sulfur amino acid) demonstrable.
- 8. Methionine corrected both the labile methyl and the sulfur amino-acid deficiencies.
- 9. The possible nutritional significance of the findings is discussed.
1 Published with the permission of the director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station.
Manuscript received 23 August 1946.