Lysine in the treatment of protein malnutrition

Abstract

It has been reported that on certain low protein diets, the addition of a small amount of lysine will improve the nitrogen balance of experimental animals (Rosenberg and Culick, 1957). In fact, it has been reported, although not confirmed, that infants also improve when given a small amount of lysine in addition to their usual diet (Albanese et al., 1955).There have been numerous accounts of childhood protein malnutrition in Bombay (Patel et al., 1957), and its treatment (Lewis et al., 1956). In this study mostly cases of kwashiorkor have been included, together with a few children with marasmus. The children were placed either in a control group, or were treated with small supplements of lysine. Although lysine is present in moderate amounts in milk, it is relatively deficient in rice and vegetable proteins, so that the diet of these children, certainly deficient in protein, might also have contained an especially low amount of lysine