INGESTION OF PROTEIN DIETS. 



285 



TABLE 216. Nitrogen excreted in urine in respiration experiments with beefsteak. 



The pronounced increase over the basal metabolism is instantly 

 noted in practically all experiments. As might be expected, the higher 

 values are usually obtained with the larger amounts of steak. For 

 instance, in the experiment with J. J. C. on April 25, 1911, when 362 

 grams of beefsteak were eaten, the basal value of 1.11 calories was 

 increased to 1.49 calories between 3 and 4 hours after the food. As a 

 matter of fact, the highest absolute increment was noted with only 

 182 grams of beefsteak, this being in the experiment with D. M. on 

 October 28, 1911, when the basal value of 1.09 calories was increased 

 in 3 hours to 1.58 calories, or approximately 45 per cent. Of special 

 significance is the fact that the basal value was not reached in any of 

 these experiments, even when the observations were continued for 12 

 hours. 



It should again be pointed out that these results are open to the ob- 

 jection that, unlike Gigon's admirably planned experiments, the food 

 material used was not a pure protein, but that there was a certain admix- 

 ture of fat, even though all visible fat was removed. The data obtained 

 in these respiration experiments show clearly, however, that the inges- 

 tion of beefsteak in amounts varying from 150 to 362 grams results 

 in a sustained increase in metabolism which is for the most part 



