Effects of dietary histidine and arginine on nitrogen retention of men
Anderson, H.L.; Soon Cho, E.; Krause, P.A.; Hanson, K.C.; Krause, G.F.; Wixom, R.L.
Journal of Nutrition 107(11): 2067-2077
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-3166 PMID: 908965 Document Number: 119692
Effects of dietary histidine and arginine on N retention were compared in 6 young men eating for 1 week each of 6 semipurified diets containing 8 indispensable amino acids proportioned as in casein 6.3 g N daily. Nonspecific N was either a mixture of 6 dispensable amino acids and arginine (diet 1) or arginine and histidine (diet 2) in casein proportions, or an isonitrogenous mixture of glycine and diammonium citrate alone (diet 3), with histidine (diet 4), arginine (diet 5), or histidine and arginine (diet 6). N retention was significantly greater when the nonspecific N source was dispensable amino acids, arginine and histidine (diet 2) than when it was glycine and diammonium citrate (diet 3). Mean balances were positive only when diets contained histidine (diets 2, 4 and 6). Histidine with arginine (diets 2 and 6) significantly improved N retention compared to arginine alone, but the balance, although positive, was not significantly improved when histidine was given without arginine (diet 4). Urinary urea N confirmed those findings. Indicators of erythrocyte status, plasma enzyme activities and proteins, and creatinine clearance were unaffected by diet. In summary, histidine supplementation of the low-N diet improved total N utilization when arginine was present in the diet.