Significance of the ‘Protein-Sparing’ Effect of Dextrin

Abstract

Among the hypotheses proposed to explain the greater food intake and rate of gain of young rats fed ad libitum on low protein diets in which dextrin or corn starch has been substituted for sucrose are: a) increased synthesis of essential amino acids by intestinal microorganisms; b) improved digestion and absorption of protein owing to slower passage of diets containing dextrin through the small intestine; c) reduced destruction of amino acids in the animal body owing to more prolonged absorption of glucose from dextrin. The results of nitrogen balance and feeding experiments indicate that improvement in the efficiency of protein utilization when dextrin is substituted for sucrose is too small for any of the above hypotheses to account for the apparent ‘protein-sparing’ effect of dextrin.