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Article: Optimizing the pattern of essential amino acids as the sole source of dietary nitrogen supports near-maximal growth in kittens
- Article from:
- The Journal of Nutrition
- Article date:
- September 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Institute of Nutrition Sep 1996. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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ABSTRACT Most experiments conducted to determine the optimal essential amino acid (EAA) nitrogen to total nitrogen (E:T) ratio in rats, chicks and other species have shown that weight gain and nitrogen retention are optimal when the ratio is between 0.5 and 0.65. Two experiments were conducted to determine if weight gains of kittens fed EAA as a sole source of dietary nitrogen were equivalent to those of kittens fed a control diet that contained equal amounts of EAA and dispensable amino acids (DAA). In the first experiment, kittens fed diets that contained only EAA lost weight. Amino acid analysis of plasma showed that the concentration of methionine was 9.1 times that of controls, ...