Am. J. Clinical Nutrition 25 (10): 976-979 (1972 Oct)
Kraisid Tontisirin, Vernon R. Young & Nevin S. Scrimshaw
Five children with Down's syndrome, aged 6 to 13 years old, were given a diet based on a synthetic amino acid mixture, patterned as in egg protein, and supplying graded levels of tryptophan. Pre- and postprandial plasma free tryptophan levels were measured. The plasma tryptophan level was low and constant at and below a tryptophan intake of 4 mg/kg body wt, increased linearly between this intake level and 7 mg/kg body wt, at which point it reached an upper plateau. From the plasma tryptophan response curve, the minimum tryptophan requirement in these children is estimated to be approximately 4 mg/kg body wt per day.