Where is positive nitrogen balance?
Matthew Harrington
Updated on February 01, 2026
Positive nitrogen balance is associated with periods of growth, hypothyroidism, tissue repair, and pregnancy. This means that the intake of nitrogen into the body is greater than the loss of nitrogen from the body, so there is an increase in the total body pool of protein.
At which stage is a positive nitrogen balance indicated?
Nitrogen Balance Method During growth, pregnancy, lactation, and recovery from convalescence, the body is in positive nitrogen balance since it is retaining nitrogen for the purpose of synthesizing new protein tissues.
What is a positive nitrogen balance?
The concept of nitrogen balance is that the difference between nitrogen intake and loss reflects gain or loss of total body protein. If more nitrogen (protein) is given to the patient than lost, the patient is considered to be anabolic or “in positive nitrogen balance”.
Where does negative nitrogen balance occur?
A negative nitrogen balance may occur during physical or emotional stress, starvation, when an individual is on a very low calorie diet, or when the quality of protein is poor (e.g. when the diet is lacking essential amino acids).
Who is most likely to have a positive nitrogen balance?
Who is most likely to be in positive nitrogen balance, negative nitrogen balance and zero nitrogen balance (give examples of each)? Positive nitrogen balance: growing infants, children, adolescents, pregnant women, and people recovering from protein deficiency or illness. Zero nitrogen balance: in healthy adults.
What happens to the body when nitrogen is not balanced?
Negative Nitrogen Balance This occurs with inadequate protein intake, burns, severe injury, infection, and fever. Negative nitrogen balance will lead to the breakdown of the body’s own protein structures, such as muscle, in order to get the amino acids the body needs.
How do you keep a positive nitrogen balance?
When you eat protein, your body breaks the protein down into amino acids. Those amino acids are then used to repair and grow new muscle fibers. When you consume an adequate amount of protein, your body will experience something called a positive balance of nitrogen.
How can I check my nitrogen balance at home?
Steps to Calculate Nitrogen Balance
- Determine nitrogen lost in urine by a 24 hour urinary urea nitrogen test.
- Add 4* to the UUN to account for non-urinary losses of nitrogen.
- Determine nitrogen intake by dividing the daily protein intake by 6.25.
- N-bal.= value from #3 – value from #4.
Which of the following states of nitrogen balance is a pregnant woman typically in?
chapter 6
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| what molecule is a protein that provides structural support to body tissues? | collagen |
| what state of nitrogen balance is a pregnant woman typically in? | positive nitrogen balance |
| the average adult should consume how many grams o protein for each kilogram of body weight? | 0.8 |
What are the factors affecting nitrogen balance?
Insufficient caloric intake, lack of non-essential nitrogen, potassium depletion, corticosteroid administration, infection or cardiac insufficiency have been found to cause a deterioration of the nitrogen balance and an increase of plasma urea or concentration.
When does the body have a positive nitrogen balance?
During growth, pregnancy, lactation, and recovery from convalescence, the body is in positive nitrogen balance since it is retaining nitrogen for the purpose of synthesizing new protein tissues. During dietary deprivation, most illnesses, and certain types of stress, the body loses nitrogen and is in negative balance.
What does it mean to be in nitrogen equilibrium?
Most healthy adults are in nitrogen equilibrium, which means that the amount of protein they are taking in is enough to maintain and repair body proteins. Any excess nitrogen is simply excreted from the body. But this balance can be tipped.
Why is nitrogen balance important to protein metabolism?
Nitrogen is a fundamental component of amino acids, which are the molecular building blocks of protein. Therefore, measuring nitrogen inputs and losses can be used to study protein metabolism. Positive nitrogen balance is associated with periods of growth, hypothyroidism, tissue repair, and pregnancy.
Why is it difficult to study nitrogen balance?
Because of these conditions, it can be difficult to study the dietary protein requirements of certain populations using the nitrogen balance technique (e.g. children). Dietary nitrogen, from metabolising proteins and other nitrogen-containing compounds, has been linked to changes in genome evolution.
