THE EFFECTS OF AMINO ACID DEFICIENCY AND IMBALANCE

Summary The mechanisms of experimental amino acid deficiency and imbalance are discussed with special reference to tryptophan. The anorexia in such dietary abnormalities prevents abnormal plasma levels of amino acids which have a regulatory function in protein synthesis, but contributes in the long run to protein deficiency. It is argued that in these conditions appetite is affected through amino acid effects on glucose utilization and that a maize diet produces a human counterpart.