John B. Longenecker

Biochemical evidence for a deficiency of vitamin B6 in subjects reacting to monosodium L-glutamate by the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome

The concept of this research was that monosodium L-glutamate(MSG), an amino acid, might reveal a deficiency of vitamin B6 by the neurological effects known as the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS). Tryptophan, an amino acid, is known to reveal a deficiency of B6 by excretion products. Basal specific activities (S.A.s) of EGOT were determined on 158 students on no B6 supplement. Of 27 with extraordinarily low S.A.s (<0.26 μmoles pyruvate/hr/108 erythrocytes), 12 responded to MSG. By double blind, 3 of the 12 again revealed CRS after placebo to B6; 8 of the other 9 showed no symptoms to MSG after supplemental B6. These results show, p<0.01, that supplemental B6 effectively prevents occurrence of CRS in responders to MSG.

Nutrition, the Brain and Alzheimerʼs Disease

Genetics has been implicated in certain types of Alzheimers disease, and long term nutrition may be an important environmental factor that triggers the onset of the disease. The stakes are high and the problem complex. All avenues of research must be pursued to eventually prevent this dreaded disease.

The synthesis, characterization, and teratology study of bis-3,4,5-trimethoxy-β-phenethylammonium tetrachloromanganate(II)

Abstract With a view to studying the teratological effects of the subject salt and (later) manganese(II) chloride, each was administered to pregnant white rats. In contrast to analogous cases studied previously, both Mn-containing salts resulted in 100% resorption of the fetuses. Since animals on diets low in calcium and vitamin D have shown pronounced teratological effects, similar cases were included for comparison.

Weight loss and body composition

Body fat accounts for much of the excess weight in obese persons; but the amount of lean body tissue (muscle and other protein tissue) in the obese individual is similar to that found in the normal individual. In weight loss primarily excess fat should be lost; not essential protein tissue.Complete fasting has been proposed as a technique for losing weight, in lieu of partial caloric restriction. The present studies were carried out to evaluate these techniques for weight loss. Changes in body composition of obese rats were determined after the animals lost one third of their body weight on different regimens. Obese animals which were restricted to 37.5 and 60% of ad libitum caloric intakes required 53 and 93 days, respectively, to lose this weight, whereas those which were totally fasted required only 24 days. There were significant differences in body composition of these groups after weight loss.Fasted animals lost more protein and less fat than did animals restricted in caloric intake; the fasted animals lost 18% of their total body protein, whereas the calorically restricted animals lost only 8–9%. Epididymal fat pads were twice as large in the fasted animals as in the calorically restricted animals. In fasted animals, liver weight loss was greater than in restricted animals, but liver fat levels were still high, as in the obese rats. Liver cholesterol levels were also elevated in fasted animals.Neither the amount of fat nor the type of fat (unsaturation) in the diet had any significant effect on the rate of weight loss or on gross body composition. Type of fat affected fatty acid composition of plasma, but not of liver or depot fat.The development of new methods for determining body composition in man has permitted reasonably accurate estimates of the amount of excess body fat in obese individuals. In obese subjects who lost weight on restricted caloric intakes of an otherwise nutritionally complete diet, most of the weight loss was as body fat, without significant loss of lean body tissue. The studies in man confirm the findings in animals.The extra weight in obesity is mainly fat, with very little protein and some water; when weight is lost by restricted intake of a good diet, the composition of the tissue burned is quite similar to that comprising the extra weight. Fasting gives more rapid weight loss, but apparently less favorable changes in body composition.