The metabolic nature of rats fed a high carbohydrate diet (HCD) and a high fat diet (HFD) alternately every two days (one cycle of this alternate feeding is a 4-day period) was investigated.
1. There were no significant differences between the total weight gains of rats fed HCD or HFD continuously and those on these two diets alternately for 21 days.
2. Rats fed HCD and HFD alternately did not show the constant growth rate. The weight gain was the highest on the first day of HCD feeding, while that was the least or nearly zero on the first day of HFD feeding during the 4-day period. The extent of the weight gain of rats on the second day of HFD feeding was the second highest among the weight gains on each day during the 4-day period.
3. Food intake and carcass composition of rats were determined on 5, 6, 7 and 8 days after rats were offered the experimental diets; on each day of second cycle of the alternate feeding. The least intakes of calorie and protein were observed on the first day of HFD feeding, which were parallel with the least gains of body weight and also of carcass protein of rats on the first day of HFD feeding among those gains on each day. However, the highest weight gain was obtained on the first day of HCD feeding, although the intake of calorie and protein were rather less on the first day of HCD feeding as compared with on the second day of HFD feeding and the second day of HCD feeding. The increase in carcass water of rats on the first day of HCD feeding was significantly more than those of rats on the other days of HCD or HFD feeding. These results suggest that the highest gain observed on the first day of HCD feeding may be due to the greater increase in carcass water in rats.
4. The increases in carcass lipid of rats were more, but the weight gains were rather less on the first day of HFD feeding and the second day of HCD feeding than the second day of HFD feeding and the first day of HCD feeding. These facts, therefore, show that the change in body weight of rats fed HCD and HFD alternately were not due to those in carcass lipid of rats.
5. The increases in carcass protein were more in rats fed the carbohydrate diet than in those fed the fat diet.

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It was found that β-homobetaine isolated from a green laver reduced the plasma cholesterol levels in rats as reported previously. In this paper, plasma cholesterol reducing effect of several betaines and N-methyltaurine derivatives are evaluated.
The results obtained are summarized as follows :
1. Lysine betaine, ornitine betaine, homarine and trigonelline reduced total and free cholesterol of plasma.
2. Alanine betaine, an isomer of β-homobetaine was ineffective.
3. Taurine showed a notable effect but its derivatives (N-methyltaurine, N, N-dimethyltaurine, taurobetaine) did not show any effects.
4. Carnitine, stachydrine, glutamic acid betaine and phenylalanine betaine were ineffective.

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It has been generally accepted that stimulation of hepatic lipogenesis is largely responsible for fatty infiltration in the liver of rats fed a low casein diet supplemented with 0.3% methionine (threonine imbalanced diet). The present study was undertaken to reexamine if the increased lipogenesis could virtually be a sole factor for production of this type of fatty liver. Lipogenesis by liver slices from 1-¹⁴C-acetate during the course of lipid accumulation was compared between rats fed a low-protein diet (control group) and those fed the imbalanced diet.
1) The accumulation of liver triglyceride due to feeding the imbalanced diet was already demonstrated after 3 days. No significant difference was observed in liver phospholipid.
2) The incorporation of 1-¹⁴C-acetate into hepatic total lipids did not significantly increased in all of rats fed the imbalanced diet for 1 to 14 days. However, the relative distribution of radioactivity in triglyceride tended to increase in the imbalanced group.
3) The specific activity of triglyceride tended to increase after feeding the imbalanced diet for 1 day, but it was not significant. No differences could be observed after 3 and 7 days.
4) The ratio of the incorporation into monoenoic to saturated fatty acids tended to increase in the rats fed the imbalanced diet for 6 days. These results did not support the view that the increased hepatic lipogenesis would be the major cause for the production of this type of fatty liver.

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In order to investigate the mechanism of the fatty liver production in rats fed the threonine imbalanced diet, time course of lipogenesis was followed after intraperitoneal injection of 1-¹⁴C-acetate into rats that had been reared on the imbalanced diet for 7 days.
1) The rate of the incorporation of 1-¹⁴C-acetate into hepatic triglyceride, estimated either on the base of unit weight of liver or of whole liver, in comparison with that of the control rats, did not increase by feeding the imbalanced diet under the condition where the extent of lipogenesis could be measured (30 min after the dose of the label). Also, the specific activity of triglyceride was by no means high at this point. The rate of disappearance of the radioactivity, between 60 min and 180 min after the label injection, from triglyceride was evidently slower in rats fed the imbalanced diet, thus the radioactivity of triglyceride in this animal being to some extent higher after 180 min.
2) The incorporation of radioactivity into phospholipid was not influenced by the imbalanced diet.
3) There was no difference in the incorporation of the radioactivity into kidney lipids between the control and imbalanced groups.
4) From the distribution of the radioactivity in the hepatic lipid fractions, it appeared that the relative incorporation into triglyceride tended to increase after feeding the imbalanced diet.
5) There were no demonstrable differences in the activity of plasma total lipids at any times after the injection of the label. The ratio of the label incorporation into whole plasma and liver total lipids tended to decrease in the imbalanced rat after 180 min.
These results suggested that, although alternative explanations are possible, the decreased turnover in hepatic triglyceride, rather than the increased hepatic lipogenesis, would largely be responsible for the production of fatty liver in rats fed the threonine imbalanced diet.

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The survey of food habits alteration of immigrants to big city comparing with his brother still living in rural area was carried out. Families designated for survey were drawn from K area of Ohgawara-machi, Miyagi prefecture. Each of these families (39 sets) has two brothers; one immigrated into Tokyo or its surrounding area, and the other is still staying their birth place (K area). In February 1974, a survey was carried out by sending a mail-questionnaire sheet to each of brothers. A major portion of the sheet was devoted to questions about foodstuffs: frequencies of the use per week in season and preference of each foods (like, intermediate and dislike). The rate of response was 54.6 percent.
Frequencies of food use per week were positively correlated by the two groups, urban and rural areas, at the significant correlation coefficient of +0.8912. The rate of agreement in preference of each foodstuff varied from 25% (fish cake) to 90% (Miso soup), and was significantly correlated with the frequency of use per week (r=+0.6520). The general impression obtained by this study is a considerable stability or an unexpectedly less discrepancy on food habits between brothers.

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Into the browning system of apple·enzyme·catechol, each one of the following amino acids was added and the activity of polyphenol oxidase and the absorption spectra were estimated in order to investigate the effect of amino acid on the enzymatic browning; lysine, methionine, cystine, cysteine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, threonine, arginine, histidine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid and serine.
The activity of polyphenol oxidase was more or less repressed by some amino acids. The mode of the repression was roughly divided into 2 groups.
The maximum of the visible spectrum at 400 nm was moved to 470-480 nm when amino acid was added to the browning system except cysteine and serine. The absorbancy was increased at around 500-520 nm and decreased at around 400 nm. However, by comparing the rate of the increase with that of the decrease, 3 groups of the variation of the absorbancy were observed.
On the other hand, shift of the maximum of the UV spectrum was not observed by the addition of amino acid, although the variation of the absorbancy was brought about. The variation of the absorbancy was grouped into 2 and the effect of amino acid on the variation was divided into 3 groups.

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The effect of lysine and vitamin D₃ on the rat intestinal Ca absorption was observed. Rats were raised on vitamin D deficient diet which protein was replaced with amino acid mixtures. Lysine content of the diet was either 1.35% or 0.45%. These two lysine groups were further divided into vitamin D deficient and vitamin D₃ dosed group.
1.35% lysine-vitamin D3 dosed group showed the best growth, followed by 1.35% lysine-vitamin D deficient group. The growth of 0.45% lysine group was extremely retarded and was not influenced by vitamin D status.
Intestinal ⁴⁵Ca transport in the everted sac obtained from vitamin D deficient group was not influenced by lysine content in the diet, but the response of ⁴⁵Ca transport by vitamin D₃ was greater in 1.35% lysine group than in 0.45% lysine group. The same tendency was observed in CaBP content in the duodenal mucosa.
These results suggest that the stimulatory effect of lysine on the intestinal calcium transport would be visualized by vitamin D.

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