Non- Essential Amino Acid Requirements and Metabolism in Humans

Application of Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Technique to Determine Non-essential Amino Acids/Nitrogen Requirements in Adult Humans

Protein is a major structural component of all cells in the body. The nutritional importance of protein is because of their amino acids. 9 are called essential and 11 are called non-essential, based on whether we need to get them from diet. This classification is based on studies done using older techniques. Recent studies suggest that these so called non-essential amino acids play important roles in our body's health. For the first time, this proposal defines an experimental design to examine non- essential amino acid/nitrogen requirements and metabolism in humans using the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation (IAAO) technique.

The objective of the current study is to examine the application of IAAO technique to determine the non-essential amino acid/nitrogen requirement in adult humans.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy Adult Males

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 6

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z4H4
      • Child and Family Research Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 40 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Physiologically Healthy Adult males, 20-40 years of age

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 20-40 years of age
• Male
• Classified as normal body weight based on body mass index (BMI) 18.5-25kg/m2
• Free of any concurrent illness

Exclusion Criteria:

• Men not in good health or have a metabolic, neurological, genetic or immune disorder including diabetes and hypertension
• Men who are classified as underweight(<18.5kg/m2), overweight(25-30kg/m2) or obese (>30kg/m2) using the BMI classification)
• Men who are allergic to milk, eggs and egg protein

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
13 Carbon dioxide production	Urine and breath samples will be collected to measure the rate of oxidation of expired breath and flux by enrichment of urine.	8 hours (1study day)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of British Columbia
• Collaborators: Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Rajavel Elango, Ph.D, University of British Columbia

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Cooper L, Ball RO, Pencharz PB, Sakai R, Elango R. Dispensable Amino Acids, except Glutamine and Proline, Are Ideal Nitrogen Sources for Protein Synthesis in the Presence of Adequate Indispensable Amino Acids in Adult Men. J Nutr. 2020 Sep 1;150(9):2398-2404. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxaa180.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 9, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 9, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): December 12, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 18, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 13, 2017
• Last Verified: July 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Protein; Amino acid; Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation; Non essential Amino acids
• Other Study ID Numbers: H12-01683