Hostname: page-component-65b85459fc-9zwhw Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-17T01:32:58.022Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Protein requirement of young adult Nigerian females on habitual Nigerian diet at the usual level of energy intake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Gloria N. Egun  and
Tola Atinmo
Gloria N. Egun
Affiliation:
Department of Human Nutrition, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Tola Atinmo
Affiliation:
Department of Human Nutrition, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A short-term N balance study was conducted in twelve healthy female adults aged 21–32 years to determine their protein requirement. Four dietary protein levels (0·3, 0·4, 0·5 and 0·6 g protein/kg per d) were used. Energy intake of the subjects was kept constant at 0·18 MJ/kg per d. All subjects maintained their normal activity throughout the study period. N excretion was determined from the measurements of N in a total collection of urine, faeces, sweat and menstrual fluid for each dietary period. N balance during the four protein levels were −15·15 (SD 5·95), −5·53 (SD 6·71), + 6·15 (SD 4·76) and +12·05 (SD 8·63) mg N/kg per d for 0·3, 0·4, 0·5 and 0·6 g protein/kg per d respectively. The calculated average N requirements from regression analysis was 76·0 (sd 3·37) mg N/kg per d (0·48 g protein/kg per d). The estimate of allowance for individual variation to cover the 97·5 % population was 95 mg N/kg per d (0·6 g protein/kg per d). The net protein utilization (NPU) of the diet was 0·55. When compared with a similar study with men, there was a significant difference in the protein requirement between sexes. Thus, the unjustifiable sex difference in the protein allowance recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization/United Nations University (1985) Expert Consultation group must be reviewed.

Keywords

Protein requirementsNitrogen balanceNigerian diet

Information

Type
Protein Metabolism
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 70 , Issue 2 , September 1993 , pp. 439 - 448
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1993

References

REFERENCES

Atinmo, T., Egun, G. & Mbofung, C. M. F. (1988 a). Long-term evaluation of the adequacy of habitual diets to provide protein needs of adult Nigerian men. British Journal of Nutrition 60, 459–466.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Atinmo, T., Mbofung, C. M. F., Egun, G. & Osotimehin, B. (1988 b). Nitrogen balance study in young Nigerian adult males using four levels of protein intake. British Journal of Nutrition 60, 451–458.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Atinmo, T., Mbofung, C. M. F., Hussain, M. A. & Osotimehin, B. (1985). Obligatory nitrogen losses in Nigerian men. British Journal of Nutrition 54, 605–611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bodwell, C. E., Schuster, E. M., Kule, E., Brooks, B., Womack, M., Steele, P. & Ahrens, R. (1979). Obligatory urinary and faecal nitrogen losses in young women, older men and young men and the factorial estimation of adult protein requirements. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 32, 2450–2459.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonsnes, P. W. & Taussky, H. H. (1945). On the calorimetric determination of creatinine by the Jaffe reaction. Journal of Biological Chemistry 158, 581–591.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calloway, D. H. & Kurzer, M. S. (1982). Menstrual cycle and protein requirements of women. Journal of Nutrition 112, 336–366.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Calloway, D. H. & Margen, S. (1971). Variations in endogenous nitrogen excretion utilization as determinants of human protein requirements. Journal of Nutrition 101, 205–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chinn, K. S. K. (1967). Prediction of muscle and remaining tissue protein in man. Journal of Applied Physiology 23, 713–715.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (1973). Energy andprotein requirements. Report ofa Joint FAO/WHO ad hoc Expert Committee. Technical Report Series no. 522. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Orgdnization/World Health Organization/United Nations University (1985). Energy and Protein Requirements. Report of Joint Expert Consultation. WHO Technical Report Series no. 724. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Huang, P. C. & Lin, C. P. (1982). Protein requirements of young Chinese male adults on ordinary Chinese mixed diet and egg diet at ordinary levels of energy intake. Journal of Nutrition 112, 897–907.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hussein, M. A. (1984). Protein requirement of Egyptian women. In Protein-Energy Requirement Studies in Developing Countries: Results of International Research. United Nations University Food and Nutrition Bulletin Supplement no. 10, pp. 102–106 ]Rand, W. M., Uuay, R., and Scrimshaw, N. S., editors]. Tokyo: United Nations University.Google Scholar
Inoue, G., Fujita, J. & Niiyama, Y. (1973). Studies on protein requirements of young men fed egg protein and rice protein excess and maintenance energy intakes. Journal of Nutrition 103, 1673–1687.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kishi, K., Miyatani, S. & Inoue, G. (1978). Requirement and utilization of egg protein by Japanese young men with marginal intakes of energy. Journal of Nutrition 108, 658–669.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Millward, D. J., Jackson, A. A., Price, G. & Rivers, J. P. W. (1989). Human amino acid and protein requirements: current dilemmas and uncertainties. Nutrition Research Reviews 2, 109–132.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Munro, H. N. (1985). Historical perspective on protein requirements: Objectives for the future. In Nutritional Adaptation in Man pp. 155–168 [Blaxter, K. and Waterlow, J. C., editors]. London and Paris: John Libbey.Google Scholar
Munro, H. N. & Fleck, A. (1969). Analysis of urine and body fluids for nitrogenous constituents. In Mammalian Protein Metabolism pp. 423–525 [Munro, H. N., editor]. New York: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pasricha, S., Rao, N., Mohanram, K. & Gopalan, C. (1965). Nitrogen balance studies of Women in India. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 47, 269–273.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rand, W. M., Scrimshaw, N. S. & Young, V. R. (1977). Determination of protein allowance in human adults from nitrogen balance data. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 30, 1129–1134.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scrimshaw, N. S., Perera, W. D. & Young, V. R. (1976). Protein requirements of man: Obligatory urinary and faecal nitrogen losses in elderly women. Journal of Nutrition 106, 665–670.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sirbu, E. R., Margen, S. & Calloway, D. H. (1967). Effect of reduced protein intakes on nitrogen loss from the human integument. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 20, 1158–1165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spence, N. P., Abernathy, R. P. & Ritchey, S. J. (1972). Excretion of nitrogen in sweat by preadolescent girls consuming low protein diets. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 25, 215–278.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
United Nations University World Hunger Programme (1979). Protein-energy Requirements Under Conditions Prevailing in Developing Countries: Current Knowledge and Research Needs. Tokyo: The United Nations University.Google Scholar
Wybenga, D. R., Giorgio, J. D. & Pileggi, V. I. (1971). Manual and automated methods for urea nitrogen measurement in whole serum. Clinical Chemistry 17, 891–895.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Young, V. R. & Scrimshaw, N. S. (1968). Endogenous nitrogen metabolism and plasma amino acids in young adults given a ‘protein-free’ diet. British Journal of Nutrition 22, 9–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, V. R., Taylor, Y. S. M., Rand, W. M. & Scrimshaw, N. S. (1973). Protein requirements of man: Efficiency of egg protein utilization at maintenance and submaintenance levels in young men. Journal of Nutrition 103, 1164–1174.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed