1. Sixty healthy subjects aged 35-44 years (thirty men and thirty women) were randomly selected from electoral registers to participate in a dietary survey using the 7 d weighed-intake method during June-August 1985.

2. Energy intake (MJ/d) was 12.5 for men and 8.4 for women. Fat contributed 36.0 and 39.1% of the total energy intake of men and women respectively. When this was adjusted to exclude energy derived from alcoholic beverages, the corresponding values were 38.8 and 39.7 % respectively. The major sources of dietary fat (%) were spreadable fats (28), meat (23), milk (12) and biscuits and cakes (11).

3. The subjects were divided into low- and high-fat groups both on the relative intake of fat (< 35 % or > 40 % dietary energy from fat) and on the absolute intake of fat (> or < 120 g fat/d). By either criterion, high-fat consumers had lower than average intakes of low-fat, high-carbohydrate foods such as potatoes, bread, fruit and table sugar, and higher intakes of milk, butter and confectionery products. Meat intake was higher among high-fat eaters only when a high-fat diet was defined as a percentage of energy.

1. Abdominal obesity is associated with numerous metabolic complications. Deep abdominal adipose tissue is critical in the association between the level of abdominal obesity and cardiovascular risk factors.

2. Adipose tissue localization was assessed by computed axial tomography (CAT), and its association with body density and anthropometric measurements was investigated in a sample of fifty-one obese women (percentage body fat 45·9 (SD 5·6)) aged 35·7 (SD 5·5) years. The CAT scans were performed at three levels: lower chest, abdomen and mid-thigh.

3. The total adipose tissue volume computed from these three scans was highly correlated with body fat mass (r 0·94, P < 0·001). The proportion of deep abdominal fat as measured by the ratio of deep: total adipose tissue areas at the abdominal level was not significantly correlated with body fat mass, but it was moderately associated with the ratio of waist: hip circumferences (WHR) (r 0·49, P < 0·001). The absolute amount of deep abdominal fat was, however, significantly correlated with body fat mass (r 0·72, P < 0·001).

4. The subscapular (r 0·38) and the abdominal (r 0·38) skinfolds were the only two skinfolds that were significantly associated with the proportion of deep abdominal fat (P < 0·01). These skinfolds were also those which showed the highest correlation with the absolute amount of deep abdominal fat (r 0·65, P < 0·001, for both skinfolds).

5. A three-site CAT-scan procedure can be used for the estimation of body fat mass in premenopausal obese women.

6. In these obese women, there was no significant association between total adiposity and the proportion of deep adipose tissue at the abdominal level.

7. In premenopausal obese women, the absolute amount of deep abdominal fat can be predicted from anthropometric measurements with more accuracy than the relative amount of deep abdominal fat.

1. Mothers were followed from 1 month post-partum up to 12 months post-partum to measure changes in their body-weight and triceps skinfold thickness.

2. Overall there was a significant weight loss in the first few months but this levelled off by 7 months.

3. The triceps skinfold increased significantly up to 5 months post-partum and then decreased.

4. These changes in body-weight and skinfold were not affected by the duration of lactation, smoking or the educational achievement of the mothers, but were influenced by the initial body mass index and the desire to lose weight.

1. The suggestion that there is a sustained enhancement in metabolic rate after exercise was investigated during the course of a study in which six normal-weight volunteers (three men, three women) took part in a 9-week training programme. Baseline values were assessed in a 3-5 week control period of minimal activity before training. At the end of the study the subjects were capable of running for I h/d, 5 d/week.

2. Throughout the entire study the subjects were maintained on a constant diet. Measurement of energy expenditure by the doubly-labelled water (2H218O) method showed that the subjects had an energy imbalance of +3% in the control and -20% at the end of the training period. The subjects were in positive (1·1 (se 0·2) g) nitrogen balance in the second week of the control, and in negative (-0·6 (se 0·3) g) N balance in the last week of the exercise period.

3. Over the course of the study maximum oxygen consumption (Vo2max) and high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol levels increased by 30%. Heart rate at rest and when performing a standard step test fell significantly.

4. Body composition was assessed weekly by 40K counting and skinfold thickness measurements, in addition to 2H2 dilution at the beginning and end of the study. Fat-free mass was apparently gained in the early phases of the study, but there was lack of agreement between the different methods of assessing body composition. Changes in body-weight were not significant.

5. Basal metabolic rate (BMR), overnight metabolic rate (OMR) and sleeping metabolic rate (SMR) were measured on three occasions: in the control period, and the beginning and end of the training periods. Average BMR in the control period was 5·91 (se 0·39) MJ/24 h and was not changed with activity. There were no changes in OMR (5·71 (se 0·27) MJ/24 h in the control) nor in SMR (5·18 (se 027) MJ/24 h in the control), nor in BMR, OMR or SMR when expressed per kg body-weight, or per kg fat-free mass.

6. These results do not support the suggestion that there is a sustained increase in BMR following exercise that can usefully assist in weight-loss programmes.

1. A modified heart rate (HR) method for predicting total energy expenditure (TEE) was cross-validated against whole-body calorimetry (CAL). Minute-by-minute HR was converted to energy expenditure (EE) using individual calibration curves when HR exceeded a pre-determined ‘FLEX’ value designed to discriminate periods of activity. (‘FLEX’ HR was defined as the mean of the highest HR during rest and the lowest HR during the lightest imposed exercise.) Sedentary EE (below FLEX) was calculated as the mean EE during lying down, sitting and standing at rest. Sleeping EE was calculated as basal metabolic rate (BMR) predicted from standard equations.

2. Calibration curves of oxygen consumption v. HR for different postures at rest and during exercise were obtained for twenty healthy subjects (eleven male, nine female); mean r 0.941 (SD 0.04). The mean FLEX HR for men and women were 86 (sd 10) and 96 (SD 6) beats/min respectively.

3. Simultaneous measurements of HR and EE were made during 21 h continuous CAL, which included 4 x 30 min imposed exercise (cycling, rowing, stepping, jogging). HR exceeded FLEX for a mean of 98 (SD 41) min. Mean TEE by CAL (TEE. CAL) was 8063 (sd 1445) kJ.

4. The HR method yielded a mean non-significant underestimate in TEE (TEE. HR) of 1.2 (sd 6.2)% (range−11.4 to + 10.6 %). Regression of TEE. HR (y) v. TEE. CAL (X) yielded Y = 0.868 X +927 kJ, r 0.943, se of the estimate 458 kJ, n 20.

5. The satisfactory predictive power and low cost of the method makes it suitable for many field and epidemiological applications.

1. Eight women were studied under metabolic-ward conditions while consuming a constant diet throughout a single menstrual cycle. Basal body temperature, salivary and urinary hormone concentrations were used in monitoring the cycle and designing the study so that whole-body calorimetry for 36 h was conducted at four phases of the cycle in relation to the time of ovulation.

2. The metabolic rate during sleep showed cyclical changes, being lowest in the late follicular phase and highest in the late luteal phase. The increase amounted to 6.1 (SD 2.7)%. Energy expenditure (24 h) also increased but the change was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Exercise efficiency did not change during the cycle.

3. There were no significant changes in plasma thyroxine, 3, 5, 3'-triiodothyronine or free 3, 5, 3'-triiodothyronine concentrations to explain the metabolic rate changes; nor did they relate to urinary luteinizing hormone, pregnanediol-3α-glucuronide or oestrone-3-glucuronide excretion rates. No link with salivary cortisol or progesterone concentrations was observed, but there was a small inverse relation between the individual increase in sleeping metabolic rate and the subjects' falling ratio of urinary oestrone-3-glucuronide: pregnanediol-3α-glucuronide.

1. Seventeen male subjects with an energy intake of 10.6 (sd 1.7) MJ/d and ten male undernourished labourers with an energy intake of 8.0 (sd 1.2) MJ/d were studied. The controls were subdivided into ten underweight controls with a body mass index (weight/height2; BMI) < 18 (17.2 (sd 0.9)) and seven normal-weight controls with a BMI > 20 (21.3 (sd 1.6)), while the undernourished labourers had a BMI < 18 (16.8 (sd 1.2)).

2. Comparison of thermogenic responses to increasing doses of noradrenaline showed no overall significant inter-group differences when subjected to a nested analysis of variance (ANOVA). For the initial doses of 0.05 and 0.1 μg noradrenaline, significantly lower responses were seen in the undernourished subjects, while the highest dose showed comparable responses in all three groups. Thermogenic responses to the initial two doses, when corrected for fat-free mass (FFM) differences, were 40 % lower in the undernourished group when compared with the underweight group with similar BMI and FFM values. However, this finding was not statistically significant.

3. The basal oxygen consumption of the undernourished group, expressed per unit FFM, was significantly higher than that of the controls.

1. Rats fed on a protein-depleted diet for 8 weeks were repleted for 5 weeks on high-protein (HP), high-protein+20 g DL-carnitine/kg (HP +C), or low-protein + 20 g DL-carnitine/kg (LP +C) diets. At 4 and 8 weeks of depletion, and 1 and 5 weeks of repletion, rats from each treatment group were given a benzoic acid tolerance test (BATT) or a cinnamic acid tolerance test (CATT) as a measure of liver function.

2. BATT and CATT measured the molar percentage of a test dose (1 mmol/kg body-weight) of benzoic acid or cinnamic acid excreted in the urine as hippuric acid within 24 h. Liver weight, liver lipid levels, and carnitine concentration in plasma and liver were also measured following liver-function testing.

3. BATT and CATT were severely impaired in protein-depleted rats, but returned rapidly to control levels following protein refeeding. Correlations of BATT and CATT with liver lipid concentration were high (r -0.49 and -0.62 respectively), and both tests show promise as clinical tests for liver function in protein-energy malnutrition.

4. Carnitine supplementation was required to return liver carnitine concentration of protein-depleted rats to control levels during repletion, but was not associated with accelerated reduction in liver fat concentration in protein-repleted rats.

1. Broiler chickens growing from 7 to 28 d of age were given: (1) a 210 g protein/kg control diet for the entire experimental period, (2) an intermittent feeding regimen (210 g protein/kg diet for either 1 or 2 d followed by a 1 d fast), or (3) a daily change in the dietary protein level from 120 to 300 g/kg diet. Treatment variables examined were lipogenesis and glucose production in vitro, and circulating concentrations of insulin, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) to determine the effects of chronic or acute dietary treatments.

2. Giving the 300 g protein/kg diet or withholding feed for 1 d decreased (P < 0.05) lipogenesis in vitro compared with controls.

3. Giving the 120 g protein/kg diet or refeeding with a 210 g protein/kg diet for 1 or 2 d increased (P < 0.05) lipogenesis in vitro compared with controls. Glucose production was affected in the same manner.

4. Fasting decreased (P < 0.05) plasma insulin and T3 and increased T4. Both refeeding and a low-protein diet increased T3. Refeeding increased and a low-protein diet decreased insulin.

5. Chronic use (7-28 d of age) of either an alternating protein or intermittent feeding regimen caused greater responses compared with acute bouts (single cycle) of either of the regimens.

1. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of dietary energy intake on whole-body protein turnover in chicks.

2. In Expt 1 a semi-purified diet with various dietary metabolizable energy (ME) concentrations, 10.9, 12.6, 14.2 and 15.9 kJ/g, was fed ad lib. to young chicks. Whole-body fractional synthesis rate (FSR) was increased with each increment in dietary ME level from 12.6 to 15.9 kJ/g, and whole-body fractional degradation rate (FDR) showed a similar, though less sensitive, trend to that of FSR.

3. In Expts 2 and 3, chicks were given graded ME intakes of 84, 126, 167, 209 or 293 kJ/d with a fixed intake of dietary protein. FSR was increased when the energy intake was raised from 84 to 167 kJ/d, and above this level it was almost constant. Similar to the trend obtained with ad lib. feeding, the response of FDR to changes in dietary energy intake was less sensitive than that of FSR.

4. Total heat production was increased when dietary energy intake was increased from 84 to 167 kJ/d, and there was no further increase at 209 kJ/d. In contrast, the contribution of protein synthesis to total heat production was not affected by varying the dietary energy intake.

1. The effect of intermittent feeding in chickens of heavy breed (HB; meat type) and light breed (LB; egg type) on skeletal muscle growth and composition was studied in adapted and non-adapted chickens.

2. Food intake, relative to body-weight, was similar in both breeds but was higher in ad lib.-fed than in intermittently fed birds.

3. On repletion days the relative growth rate was similar in both breeds, while on depletion the LB chickens lost more weight than the HB chickens. In both breeds, the relative growth was higher in the intermittently fed birds during days of food restoration than in those fed ad lib.

4. The relative weight of the breast muscle was higher in HB birds than in LB birds, but deposition rate on the day of food restoration was similar in both breeds. This growth was more pronounced in chickens adapted to alternate feeding than in chickens exposed to this feeding regimen for one cycle.

5. Protein concentration in breast muscle was not affected by age and was slightly higher in LB chickens than in HB chickens. Soluble protein was markedly reduced on days of repletion, and more at 46d than at 18d of age.

6. The RNA:DNA ratio was higher in HB than in LB chickens, and lower on days of food deprivation than on days of food restoration. After repletion this ratio returned to the level of the ad lib.-fed chickens. While in LB chickens cell size (as estimated by DNA concentration) remained constant on repletion and depletion days, in the HB chickens it decreased.

7. The rapid growth of breast muscle in HB chickens was attributed to the higher rate of protein synthesis (estimated by RNA:DNA ratio) compared with LB chickens. This may also explain why the breast muscle of LB chickens was less sensitive to intermittent feeding than that of HB chickens.

1. Thirteen normo-cholesterolaemic male students consumed one 450 g can of baked beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) in tomato sauce, daily, for 14 d as part of their normal diet. After a 14 d washout period, eleven of the students went on to consume one 440 g can of spaghetti in tomato sauce, daily, for 14 d.

2. Fasting blood samples were taken frequently for measurement of plasma cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, triacylglycerols, glucose, insulin and C-peptide. Diet diaries (3 d) were completed by the subjects during each period.

3. Consumption of beans and spaghetti led to a significant reduction in the amount of fat eaten daily (P < 0.05). Bean consumption also resulted in significant increases in protein, fibre and sugar intakes (P < 0.02, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05 respectively).

4. During the bean-eating period the mean total plasma cholesterol level of the students fell significantly from 5.1 to 4.5 mmol/l (P < 0.02). No reduction in plasma cholesterol occurred during the spaghetti-eating period.

5. HDL-cholesterol levels fell significantly during both periods (P < 0.001), but HDL:total cholesterol ratio was significantly reduced only during the spaghetti-eating period (P < 0.001). Neither beans nor spaghetti affected triacylglycerol, insulin or C-peptide levels.

6. The benefits of a legume-rich diet are discussed.

1. Healthy male volunteers consumed at noon, hot test meals with four different carbohydrate: fat ratios varying between 2.64 and 0.50, and composed of fried beefsteak, mashed potatoes, French beans, and a dessert of custard with mashed peaches. The energy content of the meals was 40% of the daily intake of the volunteers, estimated from their individual dietary histories.

2. Before, and at different times after the start of the meal, blood samples were taken and a number of indices of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism were determined in the samples, i.e. glucose, insulin, free fatty acid, free and total glycerol, free and total cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol.

3. Increasing the carbohydrate: fat ratio resulted in higher postprandial peaks of glucose and insulin. In addition, the peak area under the postprandial glucose curve showed a significant increase. The peak area under the postprandial insulin curve had also increased, indicating that a larger amount of insulin was secreted by the pancreas on increasing the carbohydrate content in the meal. There was no significant correlation between the height of the postprandial peak of blood glucose and the size of the meal.

4. All four meals caused elevated postprandial blood triacylglycerol levels. However, the decline of this elevated level took a much longer time after the meals with the lower carbohydrate: fat ratios, i.e. containing larger amounts of triacylglycerols. There was a significant decreasing linear relation between the carbohydrate content of the meals and the peak area under the postprandial triacylglycerol curve. Free glycerol and free fatty acids showed lower postprandial levels in the blood after the meals with the higher carbohydrate: fat ratios, and the peak areas of the postprandial curves of both variables displayed a significant decrease. Little or no effect of the meal carbohydrate: fat ratio was observed on the postprandial concentrations of total cholesterol, unesterified cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol or LDL-cholesterol.

1. Three studies were carried out in each of six normal volunteers to investigate how lipid, when given at different stages during the course of a meal, affects gastric emptying and postprandial blood glucose and insulin concentrations.

2. The control meal consisted of 300 ml beef consommé (50 kJ, 12 kcal), followed 20 min later by 300 g mashed potato (908 kJ, 217 kcal). In the two test meals, 60 g margarine were incorporated into either the soup or the mashed potato.

3. The addition of margarine to either component of the meal delayed gastric emptying of the mashed potato (P < 0.05), but the pattern varied according to the component to which the fat was added.

4. Incorporation of fat into the soup increased the lag phase (P < 0.05) but did not influence the slope of emptying of the mashed potato, while incorporation of fat into the mashed potato reduced the slope of emptying of the mashed potato (P < 0.05) but did not influence the lag phase.

5. Addition of fat to either component of the meal reduced postprandial blood glucose (P < 0.05) and insulin responses, but when the fat was incorporated in the soup, peak glucose and insulin responses were delayed as well (P < 0.05).

6. The results show that the effect of fat on gastric emptying and absorption of nutrients depends on when, in relation to the other components of the meal, the fat is consumed.

1. The extent of utilization of α-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1)-resistant retrograded starches in vivo was assessed in male Wistar rats (about 100 g body-weight). All animals were given a fibre-free semi-synthetic basal diet (SS) containing sucrose as the only carbohydrate source, ad lib., for 13 d. On day 14, after an overnight fast, rats were allocated to one of five dietary treatments (n 30):1, fibre-free basal SS diet; 2-5, basal SS diet supplemented with 100 g sucrose, Solka floc (cellulose), resistant maize starch (RCS) or resistant pea (Pisum sativum) starch (RPS)/kg diet. Animals allocated to each dietary treatment were divided into three groups of ten rats which were given the appropriate diet for 8 or 9, 17 or 18 and 29 or 30 d (8/9, 17/18 or 29/30 d groups respectively). Rats were fed on 12 g diet/d (treatment 1) or 13.2 g diet/d (treatments 2-5) for the first 20 d, and 14 or 15.4 g/d respectively until the end of the experiment. Rats fed on the supplemented basal diets were thus given 10% more food to allow for the addition of the test carbohydrate. Faecal carbohydrate excretion was determined at intervals in the 17/18 d groups. At the end of each experimental period animals were killed after consuming their daily food ration and small intestinal length, weight of caecal and ileal contents and tissue, and pH of caecal contents measured. The amount of carbohydrate in the caecal and ileal contents from the 8/9 and 17/18 d groups was determined.

2. Weights of ileal and caecal contents, caecal tissue and faecal output were significantly greater at all time points for rats fed on the resistant starches compared with those fed on basal and sucrose-supplemented diets. Values were higher for RPS-fed rats than for RCS-fed rats.

3. The quantity of carbohydrate recovered from ileal and caecal contents showed that both RCS and RPS were partially digested and absorbed as carbohydrate, but that RPS was digested to a lesser extent.

4. The concentration of carbohydrate decreased between the ileal and caecal sites when RPS and RCS were given but was essentially unchanged when cellulose was given. This is consistent with rapid fermentation of a fraction of these starches.

5. Faecal carbohydrate elimination in the 17/18 d groups fed on RCS and RPS declined with time, which suggested an adaptive response resulting in increased utilization of the starches. This adaptive response was slower in the RPS-fed rats than the RCS-fed rats.

6. The present study indicates that, in the rat, there are significant differences in the utilization of resistant starches from different sources.

1. For a period of 32 d young rats were given a diet containing (g/kg) 220 casein, 120 casein +1.93 L-cysteine (Cys), or 120 casein.

2. The formation of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3)-nuclear protein complexes was reduced in rats fed on the Cys-deficient diet.

3. Scatchard analysis showed that decreased formation of T3 -nuclear protein complexes was due to a decreased affinity of T3 receptors; this decrease was induced, at least in part, by a reduced glutathione content.

4. In rats fed on the Cys-deficient diet there was an expected decrease in growth but an unexpected increase in the activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49) and malate dehydrogenase (oxaloacetate-decarboxylating) (NADP+) (EC 1.1.1.40). It is suggested that this increase is related to an increased oxidized glutathione: reduced glutathione ratio.

1. In Expt 1 three male goat kids of the Swedish Landrace breed were bottle-fed on isoenergetic liquid diets composed of goat's milk alone or substituted with 200, 400, 600 and 800 ml of a nitrogen-free liquid diet/1. The goat kids were 3 weeks old at the start of the experiment and weighed on average 5.3 (sd 0.22) kg. The experiment lasted for 45 d divided into nine 5 d periods. The goat kids were kept individually in metabolism cages, and faeces and urine were collected daily.

2. In Expt 1 there was a significant (P < 0.001) relation between N intake and N retention, with an estimated (extrapolation) basal N excretion of 211 mg N/kg metabolic live weight (W0.75). While the creatinine excretion remained fairly constant (19.9 mg/W0.75), there was a tendency for both the allantoin and uric acid excretions to change with N intakes. Hypoxanthine showed no consistent excretion pattern, and xanthine could not be detected.

3. In Expt 2 three male goat kids of the Swedish Landrace breed were used to study the effect of level of intake on N and purine metabolism. The first experimental period (period 1) started at 2 weeks of age (5.5 kg live weight) and the second experimental period (period 2) at 9 weeks of age (9.8 kg live weight). The goat kids were bottle-fed on goat milk at intended intakes of 400, 600, 800 and 1000 kJ gross energy/kg W0.75. Each treatment was given for 7 d with adaptation for 3 d and collections for 4 d.

4. In Expt 2 there were significant (P < 0.001) increases in both live weight and N retention when level of intake was increased. With increasing N intakes both total N and urea-N excretions increased significantly (P < 0.05). The proportions of urea-N and ammonia-N were fairly constant within periods, and were on average respectively 0.81 and 0.059 in period I and 0.84 and 0.068 in period 2. There was no significant effect of treatment on the urinary excretion of allantoin, hypoxanthine, xanthine and creatinine. In period 2 uric acid excretion was significantly (P < 0.01) affected by the treatments.

5. From the presented findings it is concluded that the endogenous urinary excretion of purine derivatives in a young growing ruminant was only marginally affected by large variations in protein supply, and also by the level of intake of milk.

1. Nitrite and nitrate levels were measured in samples from ileostomy bags or stomal samples of thirty-one ileostomists (twenty-two ulcerative colitis, nine Crohn's disease), 14-16 h after ingestion of a conventional meal or a meal containing a high content of nitrite and nitrate.

2. Ileostomy samples were decolourized with barium chloride, sodium sulphate and charcoal. Nitrite was determined spectrophotometrically by the Griess reaction and nitrate determined as nitrite after reduction with nitrate reductase (ec 1.7.99.4) in the presence of sodium formate. The mean percentage recovery from twentysix spiked samples was 101.9 (se 3.5)% for nitrite and 82.9 (se 3.3)% for nitrate.

3. Ileostomy bag samples were obtained in twenty-nine cases of which ten had measurable nitrite (median 0, range 0-20.7 nmol/g) on a conventional meal compared with twenty-three cases (median 7.2, range 0-31.1 nmol/g) on the test meal (P < 0.01). Nitrate levels were measurable in sixteen (median 6.7, range 0-48.2 nmol/g) after a conventional meal compared with twenty-one (median 20.5, range 0-53.2 nmol/g) after the test meal (P <0.01).

4. Stomal fresh-catch samples were obtained in twenty-four cases: combined nitrate and nitrite was higher in eighteen, lower in four and unchanged in two subjects after the test meal (P < 0.05).

5. The type of foodstuff ingested can significantly alter measurable levels of nitrite-nitrate in the distal ileum and is one factor determining nitrite-nitrate input into the proximal colon.