Food intake compensation for increase or decrease in the protein content of the diet

Daily protein intakes in the rat compensate rather precisely for current over- or under-supply of amino acids to provide energy and protein, when feeding is not dominated by energy need, extremes of palatability, or inappropriate selection habits. Interactions between protein-induced satiety and acquired protein appetites may possibly be sufficient to explain the observed compensatory behavior. The results confirm that control of food intake can play the primary role in regulation of nitrogen exchange as well as in the regulation of energy exchange in the rat.