Low protein

About: Low protein is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 8139 publications have been published within this topic receiving 213225 citations.

Association of disproportionate growth of fetal rats in late gestation with raised systolic blood pressure in later life.

Abstract: In human populations, patterns of disproportionate fetal growth are associated with cardiovascular disease in later life. Protein restriction of pregnant rats is known to impair fetal growth and is also associated with increased systolic blood pressure in later life. Growth of fetuses exposed to maternal low protein diets was found to be accelerated between day 14 and day 20 of gestation, but this growth appeared to falter in late gestation, resulting in low or normal birthweights. Placental growth was also accelerated by protein restriction. Day 20 fetuses from rats fed low protein diets were heavier but had proportionally smaller brains than did control fetuses. These animals were also longer in proportion to body mass. Between day 20 and full term (day 22), growth of the brain was spared at the expense of the trunk and at birth, pups exposed to low protein were short in relation to body mass. At weaning, rats exposed to low protein diets in utero had significantly higher systolic blood pressure relative to control animals. These data indicate that increased blood pressure in rats is linked to disproportionate patterns of growth in middle and late gestation.

Urinary Calcium and Calcium Balance in Young Men as Affected by Level of Protein and Phosphorus Intake

Abstract: Eight young adult males were subjects in a 51-day metabolic study conducted to examine the effects of level of protein and of phosphorus intake on urinary calcium and calcium balance. Two levels of protein (50-150 g) were given at each of two levels of phosphorus intake (1,010 and 2,525 mg). Dietary calcium and magnesium were maintained at 500 and 350 mg, respectively. Raising the protein intake from 50 to 150 g caused a calciuresis at both phosphorus intakes, but the actual increase in urinary calcium was 71 mg/day greater at the low than at the high phosphorus intake and calcium balance was changed from 24 to -116 mg/day at the low phosphorus intake and from 8 to -25 mg/day at the high. When the phosphorus intake was raised, urinary calcium decreased from 156 to 93 mg/day at the low protein intake and from 334 to 200 mg/day at the high protein intake and the markedly negative calcium balance found at the high protein intake was greatly improved. Simultaneous increases in protein and phosphorus intakes caused a 28% increase in urinary calcium whereas the increase in protein intake alone caused a 115% increase.