Prevention of Fatty Liver due to Threonine Deficiency by Moderate Caloric Restriction

Abstract

RATS fed a diet containing 9 per cent casein supplemented with sulphur-containing amino-acids and choline develop moderately fatty livers, but if the diet is supplemented with threonine, the accumulation of fat is reduced^1,2. Evidence that fat synthesis is accelerated in rats fed the threonine-deficient diet was obtained by measuring the incorporation of acetate-1-¹⁴C into liver and carcass fat³. This suggested that rats fed this low protein diet consume an excess of calories in relation to their intake of balanced protein and that the extra calories are used for the synthesis of fat.