Nutritional and metabolic studies in humans with 1,3-butanediol

Three studies of the role of 1,3-butanediol (BD) in human nutrition are described. Isocaloric substitution of BD for starch in the diets of volunteers caused less negative nitrogen balance. Ingestion of urea also decreased negative nitrogen balance, and the effect of BD plus urea in the diets seemed to be additive. No effects were detected on many blood parameters measured during and after the study, except that BD feeding decreased blood glucose significantly. 1,3-Butanediol was shown to be a nontoxic metabolite providing a source of calories for human nutrition. In a second study, ingestion of BD was shown to cause slight increases in serum insulin and growth hormone concentrations in the fasting state. We next studied the effects of prior ingestion of BD on serum insulin, growth hormone, glucose, and lipids during glucose tolerance tests. No significant differences in these parameters were noted when prior ingestion of sucrose or an isocaloric quantity of BD were compared. Possible mechanisms whereby ingestion of BD spared nitrogen and caused decreased blood glucose are discussed.