Metabolic Availability of Lysine From Sorghum in Adult Men
Condition: Healthy Men
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Protein is the key determinant of growth and bodily functions. The quality of food proteins
      depend on their amino acid content and the amount of amino acids used by the body to make
      proteins. Globally Cereal Grains (CG) provide 50% of the calories and protein in the diet and
      exceed 80% in poorer developing countries. In many of those countries, sorghum is the major
      cereal grain in the diet. The protein in sorghum is low in the essential amino acid lysine.
      Hence sorghum protein is of low quality. Low lysine affects protein synthesis in the body.
      Cooking methods also affect the lysine available from foods to the body.The protein can be
      complemented by the addition of lentils to augment the low lysine content. However, lentils
      are prohibitively expensive in some developing countries.

      As the human population increases, the world faces the continuous challenge of maximizing a
      limited food supply. Protein quality (PQ) evaluation of sorghum directly in humans would
      allow us to bridge the gap in knowledge between what is required and how best to provide.The
      information gathered from this project will provide the first direct experimental data on PQ
      of sorghum protein in humans on which nutrition recommendations can be built.
    

Detailed description: 
      Each subject will be part of 8 different experimental diets, and randomly assigned to one of
      the diets every time.

      4 reference diet would be based on egg protein composition, 3 sorghum diets would have
      protein from cooked sorghum and 1 mixed meal would comprise of cooked sorghum and lentils.

      Each experimental diet will be studied over 3 days: 2 adaptation and 1 study day. The 2
      adaptation meals would be consumed at home. On the study day 3, following a 12-h overnight
      fast, subjects will come to the research unit at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
      for a period of 7.5 h and consume the diet as 9 hourly meals. The first 3 meals would be
      consumed at home.

      For the duration of all experiments, subjects will consume a daily multivitamin supplement to
      ensure adequate vitamin intake.

      Measurements:

      Resting energy expenditure (REE) will be measured by open-circuit indirect calorimetry Body
      composition (fat and fat free mass) will be measured by BIA and Skin Fold. Breath samples
      will be collected after the 4th and 7th meals.
    

Intervention name(s): Metabolic availability of lysine in sorghum
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): Four levels of lysine intakes will be provided by the reference protein drinks, 3 levels of lysine from sorghum and 1 level from sorghum with lentils.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Intervention model description: Each subject will randomly receive 3 levels of lysine provided as free amino acids, sorghum, or sorghum combined with lentils for a total of 8 studies x 3 days per study.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Other
Keywords: Lysine, Adult, Protein Quality