NDLE Board Nutritional Biochemistry And Clinical Dietetics Exam 1 Practice

Excess dietary protein is:

Excreted directly in the urine Stored in the body All of the above Broken down for energy or used to synthesize glucose and fat

Correct Answer:

Broken down for energy or used to synthesize glucose and fat

Explanation:

When protein is eaten in excess, the body doesn’t store amino acids as extra protein. Instead, amino acids are deaminated in the liver, removing the nitrogen (which is then excreted as urea). The remaining carbon skeletons can be used for energy or redirected into glucose production (gluconeogenesis) or fat synthesis (lipogenesis) if energy intakes are high. That’s why the correct idea is that excess protein is broken down for energy or used to make glucose and fat. If needed, some amino acids can be reused for other nonprotein compounds, but there’s no stored “reserve” of amino acids like there is for fat or carbohydrate.

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