Physiological economy in nutrition, with special reference to the minimal proteid requirement of the healthy man: an experimental studyChittenden, R. H. (Russell Henry)
Science
Physiological economy in nutrition, with special reference to the minimal proteid requirement of the healthy man: an experimental study
Chittenden, R. H. (Russell Henry)
Metabolism; Nutrition
Finally, taking the average daily excretion of nitrogen through the
kidneys from November 10 to June 23, as a measure of the nitrogen
metabolized daily, viz., 6.53 grams, and taking the body-weight at 70
kilos, it is plain to see that the nitrogen metabolized per kilo of
body-weight throughout this experiment was 0.093 gram, closely similar to
the result obtained with the first subject. In other words, both of these
subjects, though widely different in body-weight, under different degrees
of physical activity, and living on different forms of diet, seemingly
required for the maintenance of equilibrium essentially the same amount
of nitrogen per kilo of body-weight; viz., with the first subject 0.0947
gram, if we take the lower figure of the last two months, and 0.093 gram
with the second subject.
Regarding the fuel value of the daily food, Dr. Mendel with a body-weight
of 70 kilos, during the second balance period, apparently utilized
on an average 34.9 calories per kilo of body-weight daily, while the
first subject, of 57 kilos body-weight, made use of only 28 calories
per kilo. The fuel value of the daily food must, however, as is well
known, vary greatly with differing degrees of physical activity, from
which arises the necessity for corresponding variation in the amounts of
non-nitrogenous foods ingested.
* * * * *
Dr. Frank P. Underhill, instructor in physiological chemistry in the
Sheffield Scientific School, is another subject of experiment who
volunteered to study on himself the effects of a lowered proteid intake.
Prior to the experiment he was in the habit of eliminating from 16 to
16.5 grams of nitrogen per day through the kidneys, representing the
usual 105 grams of proteid food metabolized.
Dr. Underhill, at the beginning of the experiment, July 1, 1903, was
twenty-six years of age and weighed 67.6 kilos. For a period of two
weeks, from July 14 to August 2, he gradually reduced the intake of
proteid food as well as the total amount of food consumed, doing this
in part by diminishing the quantity eaten at breakfast, and in smaller
measure at the two other meals of the day. During this period of two
weeks, the urine and fæces were analyzed with the results shown in the
accompanying table. Regarding the extent of proteid metabolism, it will
be seen that the nitrogen content of the urine fell from 14.28 grams per
day down to 5 to 6 grams per day. Having reached this level, the subject
maintained it throughout the summer of 1903, occasional analyses being
made to demonstrate the level of nitrogen excretion.
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