Source and amount of dietary nonspecific nitrogen in relation to whole- body leucine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine kinetics in young men

We studied the effects of amount and source of nonspecific nitrogen (NSN) on the oxidation of leucine and hydroxylation of phenylalanine. In phase 1, seven adult males received for 6 d diets providing indispensable amino acid intakes to meet the 1985 FAO/WHO/UNU (FAO) requirements or our proposed requirement values (MIT). During one diet period with each diet, the NSN of the basal diets (total nitrogen intake: 107 mg N · kg^-1 · d^-1) was increased to a total of 160 mg N · kg^-1 · d^-1. On the morning of day 7, an 8-h constant intravenous tracer-infusion protocol (3-h fast; 5-h fed state) was conducted with L-[I-¹³C]leucine, L-[ring-²H₅]phenylalanine, and L-[3,3,²H₂]-tyrosine as tracers. In phase 2, six subjects were given three diets for 6 d, supplying 107 mg N · kg^-1 · d^-1; NSN was a mixture of dispensable amino acids in which glutamine accounted for 0%, 12.5%, and 100% of total NSN. Leucine oxidation and phenylalanine hydroxylation rates and whole-body leucine and phenylalanine balances were unaffected by addition of supplemental NSN to the diets in phase 1 or by amino acid source of NSN in phase 2. Leucine and phenylalanine balances were lower (P < 0.05) for FAO compared with MIT diets.