A diet that provides 75 g protein per day can contribute __________ mg niacin from tryptophan.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Niacin can be synthesized in the body from the amino acid tryptophan, but the conversion rate is relatively low. It takes 60 mg of tryptophan to synthesize 1 mg of niacin. Therefore, to determine the amount of niacin that can be produced from tryptophan in a 75 g protein diet, we need to know the amount of tryptophan in the protein. On average, protein sources contain about 1% tryptophan. Therefore, a 75 g protein diet would provide about 0.75 g of tryptophan. Multiplying this by the conversion rate (60 mg of tryptophan to 1 mg of niacin) gives us 12.5 mg of niacin from tryptophan. Therefore, the answer is C.

A Diet That Provides 75 G Protein Per Day Can