Nitrogen Balance

"How do you know if you are consuming
enough protein on a high protein diet?"

Nitrogen balance is the most current indicator that answers whether a peson is consuming enough protein or not. It is very simple. It also answers the question about how much protein should someone consume.

There is something called "positive nitrogen balance."

This is when more nitrogen is being excreted out of the body than the nitrogen going into it. This is a sign of positive and adequate protein intake or protein utilization.

All macronutrients, fat, carbohydrate and protein have carbon, hydrogen and oxygen molecules as part of their structure. Only protein has nitrogen.

When protein is going into the body and there is too much nitrogen going out of the body, this is a negative nitrogen balance. This is an indicator of burns, fevers, wasting diseases and other serious injuries and during periods of fasting.¹

This nitrogen balance is also a method of determining malnutrition.²

This is technical and not a test that you can do in your home on a regular basis. Also, it takes a lot for a person to be so protein deficient that it harmful to health or survival.

Not only must a person be starving, they should be infected or afflicted with some illness.

References

1. VII. Monitoring Nutrition Therapy." HealthLinks Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2010. <http://healthlinks.washington.edu/nutrition/section7.html>
   
2. Barbosa-Silva MC (May 2008). "Subjective and objective nutritional assessment methods: what do they really assess?". Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 11 (3): 248–54.

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