Effect of dietary protein levels on urea utilization in Papua New Guinea highlanders

Ability to utilize urea nitrogen for body protein synthesis was examined with Papua New Guinea (PNG) highlanders and Japanese (JPN). Eight male PNG highlanders and 8 male JPN were fed on a low protein diet containing 0.55 g protein/kg or an adequate protein diet containing 1.34 g protein/kg for 1 or 2 weeks. The fate of 15N was measured after oral administration of 15N-labelled urea. There was no difference in 15N incorporation into serum protein between PNG highlanders and JPN receiving low protein diets. On the other hand, on the adequate protein diet, 15N incorporation in PNG highlanders was similar to that on the low protein diet, in contrast to that in JPN which was hardly detected in the adequate protein diet. When PNG highlanders take more protein than protein in their usual diet, they effectively incorporate ingested protein into their body protein and urea nitrogen is utilized for synthesis of body protein.