ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the determination of reasonable dietary ratios of amino acids (AA) and the effect of those ratios on physiological responses. The AA may be divided into the nutritional classifications of indispensable (IAA), conditionally indispensable, and dispensable (DAA) based on absolute ability or relative rates of synthesis in vivo. The chapter examines views and approaches to the formulation of the AA portion of diets and the possible application of the Saturation Kinetics Model (SKM) to their improvement. The SKM is based on the concept that an organism is characterized by a sequence of homeostatically constrained steady states. Physiological responses are the result of a series of enzymatically mediated steps, one of which is rate limiting and displays saturation kinetics. The study of proteins gives some empirical insight into optimal IAA/DAA ratios and is important for formulating protein based diets. AA must be studied individually to determine optimal ratios.
