- Overview
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The goal of my research program is to identify protein and amino acid (building blocks of protein) requirements during key life stages of growth and development, and in disease.
During pregnancy the nutritional state of the mother influences the rapidly growing fetus and affects long-term health. Due to ethical constraints protein requirements during pregnancy is not well studied. With the use of stable isotope tracers, which are completely safe for use in vulnerable populations like pregnant women, my research will measure requirements and trace complex amino acid metabolic pathways in the human body. The focus will be to make dietary protein and amino acid recommendations to improve long-term health for the mother and child.
Undernutrition or malnutrition has been implicated to be the underlying cause of ~50% of all deaths in children in the developing world. My research will examine the impact of childhood malnutrition on protein and amino acid requirements with collaborations between research institutes located in India and BCCHR in Vancouver.
- Publications
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Point-of-care human milk concentration by passive osmosis: comprehensive analysis of fresh human milk samples
Journal of Perinatology
Elizabeth R. Schinkel and Elizabeth R. Nelson and Jae H. Kim and Maryanne T. Perrin and Roger Dyer and Rajavel Elango and Lars Bode and David C. Dallas and Jiraporn Lueangsakulthai and Carrie-Ellen Briere and Sarah N. Taylor
DOI: 10.1038/s41372-024-01988-2
11/2024Protein requirements in adults with phenylketonuria and bioavailability of glycomacropeptide compared to an l-amino acid-based product
Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease
Abrar Turki and Sylvia Stockler-Ipsiroglu and Sandra Sirrs and Jennifer Branov and Taryn Bosdet and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1002/jimd.12806
10/2024Total sulfur amino acid requirements are higher during late gestation compared with early gestation in healthy Canadian pregnancies in a repeated-measures trial
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Kerri Scherbinsky and Betina F Rasmussen and Bingqing Li and Dehan Kong and Ronald O Ball and Paul B Pencharz and Glenda Courtney-Martin and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.07.034
10/2024Protein Requirements in Humans: A Need for Reassessment
The Journal of Nutrition
Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.10.018
12/2023The Minimum Methionine Requirement for Adults Aged =60 Years Is the Same in Males and Females
Nutrients
Alyssa Paoletti and Paul B. Pencharz and Ronald O. Ball and Dehan Kong and Libai Xu and Rajavel Elango and Glenda Courtney-Martin
DOI: 10.3390/nu15194112
09/2023Human Milk Calorie Guide: A Novel Color-Based Tool to Estimate the Calorie Content of Human Milk for Preterm Infants
Nutrients
Anish Pillai and Susan Albersheim and Nikoo Niknafs and Brian Maugo and Betina Rasmussen and Mei Lam and Gurpreet Grewal and Arianne Albert and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.3390/nu15081866
04/2023Tolerable upper intake level (UL) for individual amino acids in humans: A narrative review of recent clinical studies
Advances in Nutrition
Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.04.004
04/2023Dietary management in pregnant Phenylketonuria (PKU) patients: comparison with protein and phenylalanine requirements in healthy pregnancies
Madeleine Ennis and Annie Rosen Heath and Jennifer Branov and Taryn Bosdet and Anna Lehman and Sandra Sirrs and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2609680/v1
03/2023Maternal nutritional risk factors for pre-eclampsia incidence: findings from a narrative scoping review
Reproductive Health
Mai-Lei Woo Kinshella and Shazmeen Omar and Kerri Scherbinsky and Marianne Vidler and Laura A. Magee and Peter von Dadelszen and Sophie E. Moore and Rajavel Elango and Peter von Dadelszen and Laura A. Magee and Lucilla Poston and Hiten D. Mistry and Marie-Laure Volvert and Cristina Escalona Lopez and Sophie Moore and Rachel Tribe and Andrew Shennan and Tatiana Salisbury and Lucy Chappell and Rachel Craik and Marleen Temmerman and Angela Koech Etyang and Sikolia Wanyonyi and Geoffrey Omuse and Patricia Okiro and Grace Mwashigadi and Esperança Sevene and Helena Boene and Corssino Tchavana and Eusebio Macete and Carla Carillho and Lazaro Quimice and Sonia Maculuve and Donna Russell and Ben Baratt and Joy Lawn and Hannah Blencowe and Veronique Filippi and Matt Silver and Prestige Tatenda Makanga and Liberty Makacha and Yolisa Dube and Newton Nyapwere and Reason Mlambo and Umberto D’Alessandro and Anna Roca and Melisa Martinez-Alvarez and Hawanatu Jah and Brahima Diallo and Abdul Karim Sesa
DOI: 10.1186/s12978-022-01485-9
09/2022Pregnancy-induced alterations of 1-carbon metabolism and significance for maternal nutrition requirements
Nutrition Reviews
Kelsey M Cochrane and Brock A Williams and Rajavel Elango and Susan I Barr and Crystal D Karakochuk
DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac015
08/2022Complexity of understanding the role of dietary and erythrocyte docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the cognitive performance of school-age children
Current Developments in Nutrition
Kelly A Mulder and Roger A Dyer and Rajavel Elango and Sheila M Innis
DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzac099
07/2022Metabolic Availability of Methionine Assessed Using Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Method, Is Greater when Cooked Lentils and Steamed Rice Are Combined in the Diet of Healthy Young Men
The Journal of Nutrition
Mahroukh Rafii and Paul B Pencharz and Kaylem Boileau and Ronald O Ball and Christopher Tomlinson and Rajavel Elango and Glenda Courtney-Martin
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxac049
06/2022Energy Metabolism in Gynecological Cancers: A Scoping Review
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Ana Paula Pagano and Katherine Ford and Kathryn N. Porter Starr and Nicole Kiss and Helen Steed and Janice Y. Kung and Rajavel Elango and Carla M. Prado
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19116419
05/2022Perceptions of expressed breast milk for preterm infants in Malawian hospitals: A qualitative study
Journal of Neonatal Nursing
Anna-Joy Ong and Mai-Lei Woo Kinshella and Sangwani Salimu and Marianne Vidler and Rajavel Elango and Mwai Banda and Queen Dube and David Goldfarb and Kondwani Kawaza and Alinane Linda Nyondo-Mipando
DOI: 10.1016/j.jnn.2021.08.006
04/2022Bioavailable Lysine Assessed Using the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Method in Healthy Young Males is High when Sorghum is Cooked by a Moist Cooking Method
The Journal of Nutrition
Alyssa Paoletti and Abrar Fakiha and Zujaja Tul-Noor and Paul B Pencharz and Crystal L Levesque and Ronald O Ball and Dehan Kong and Rajavel Elango and Glenda Courtney-Martin
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab410
03/2022DNA methylation at a nutritionally sensitive region of the PAX8 gene is associated with thyroid volume and function in Gambian children.
Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
DOI: 10.17863/cam.79634
01/2022Maternal Dietary Patterns and Pregnancy Hypertension in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Advances in Nutrition
Mai-Lei Woo Kinshella and Shazmeen Omar and Kerri Scherbinsky and Marianne Vidler and Laura A Magee and Peter von Dadelszen and Sophie E Moore and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1093/advances/nmab057
11/2021DNA methylation at a nutritionally sensitive region of the PAX8 gene is associated with thyroid volume and function in Gambian children
Science Advances
Toby Candler and Noah J. Kessler and Chathura J. Gunasekara and Kate A. Ward and Philip James and Eleonora Laritsky and Maria S. Baker and Roger Dyer and Rajavel Elango and David Jeffries and Robert A. Waterland and Sophie E. Moore and Marian Ludgate and Andrew M. Prentice and Matt J. Silver
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj1561
11/2021Dietary management and growth outcomes in children with propionic acidemia: A natural history study
JIMD Reports
Haneen Saleemani and Csilla Egri and Gabriella Horvath and Sylvia Stockler-Ipsiroglu and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1002/jmd2.12234
09/2021Subchronic Tolerance Trials of Graded Oral Supplementation with Phenylalanine or Serine in Healthy Adults
Nutrients
Naoki Miura and Hideki Matsumoto and Luc Cynober and Patrick J. Stover and Rajavel Elango and Motoni Kadowaki and Dennis M. Bier and Miro Smriga
DOI: 10.3390/nu13061976
06/2021Corrected fortification approach improves the protein and energy content of preterm human milk compared with standard fixed-dose fortification
Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition
Anish Pillai and Susan Gail Albersheim and Kaitlin Berris and Arianne Y Albert and Horacio Osiovich and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2019-317503
05/2021Glycine, a Dispensable Amino Acid, Is Conditionally Indispensable in Late Stages of Human Pregnancy
The Journal of Nutrition
Betina F Rasmussen and Madeleine A Ennis and Roger A Dyer and Kenneth Lim and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa263
02/2021Effects of Maternal Nutritional Supplements and Dietary Interventions on Placental Complications: An Umbrella Review, Meta-Analysis and Evidence Map
Nutrients
Mai-Lei Kinshella and Shazmeen Omar and Kerri Scherbinsky and Marianne Vidler and Laura Magee and Peter von Dadelszen and Sophie Moore and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.3390/nu13020472
01/2021Lysine Bioavailability in School-Age Children Consuming Rice Is Reduced by Starch Retrogradation
The Journal of Nutrition
Katia Caballero and Ronit Mandal and Anubhav Pratap-Singh and David D Kitts and Ronald O Ball and Paul B Pencharz and Glenda Courtney-Martin and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa276
12/2020Dietary Aromatic Amino Acid Requirements During Early and Late Gestation in Healthy Pregnant Women
The Journal of Nutrition
Madeleine A Ennis and Anna-Joy Ong and Kenneth Lim and Ronald O Ball and Paul B Pencharz and Glenda Courtney-Martin and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa317
12/2020Methionine Nutrition and Metabolism: Insights from Animal Studies to Inform Human Nutrition
The Journal of Nutrition
Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa155
10/2020Proposals for Upper Limits of Safe Intake for Methionine, Histidine, and Lysine in Healthy Humans
The Journal of Nutrition
Luc Cynober and Dennis M Bier and Patrick Stover and Motoni Kadowaki and Sidney M Morris, Jr and Rajavel Elango and Miro Smriga
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa231
10/2020Dispensable Amino Acids, except Glutamine and Proline, Are Ideal Nitrogen Sources for Protein Synthesis in the Presence of Adequate Indispensable Amino Acids in Adult Men
The Journal of Nutrition
Leah Cooper and Ronald O Ball and Paul B Pencharz and Ryosei Sakai and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa180
09/2020Impact of enteral arginine supplementation on lysine metabolism in humans: A proof-of-concept for lysine-related inborn errors of metabolism
Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease
Zoe Schmidt and Gayathri Murthy and Madeleine Ennis and Sylvia Stockler-Ipsiroglu and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1002/jimd.12233
09/2020Dietary phenylalanine requirements during early and late gestation in healthy pregnant women
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Madeleine A Ennis and Betina F Rasmussen and Kenneth Lim and Ronald O Ball and Paul B Pencharz and Glenda Courtney-Martin and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz288
02/2020Protein Quality Assessment of Follow-up Formula for Young Children and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods: Recommendations by the FAO Expert Working Group in 2017
The Journal of Nutrition
Nirupama Shivakumar and Alan Anthony Jackson and Glenda Courtney-Martin and Rajavel Elango and Shibani Ghosh and Suzanne Hodgkinson and Maria Xipsiti and Warren T K Lee and Anura V Kurpad and Daniel Tomé
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz250
02/2020The Phenylalanine Requirement of Elderly Men and Women Measured by Direct 13C Carbon Oxidation Method Is Similar to That of Young Adults
The Journal of Nutrition
Kimberly E Martin and Paul B Pencharz and Mahroukh Rafii and Ronald O Ball and Sylwia Szwiega and Rajavel Elango and Glenda Courtney-Martin
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz137
10/2019Evaluation of A Concentrated Preterm Formula as a Liquid Human Milk Fortifier in Preterm Babies at Increased Risk of Feed Intolerance
Nutrients
Anish Pillai and Susan Albersheim and Julie Matheson and Vikki Lalari and Sylvia Wei and Sheila Innis and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.3390/nu10101433
10/2018Milk Fat Globule Membrane Supplementation in Formula-fed Rat Pups Improves Reflex Development and May Alter Brain Lipid Composition
Scientific Reports
Sara Moukarzel and Roger A. Dyer and Cyrielle Garcia and Alejandra M. Wiedeman and Guilaine Boyce and Joanne Weinberg and Bernd O. Keller and Rajavel Elango and Sheila M. Innis
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33603-8
10/2018Metabolic Availability of the Limiting Amino Acids Lysine and Tryptophan in Cooked White African Cornmeal Assessed in Healthy Young Men Using the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Technique
The Journal of Nutrition
Mahroukh Rafii and Rajavel Elango and Ronald O Ball and Paul B Pencharz and Glenda Courtney-Martin
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxy039
05/2018Editorial introductions
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
Luc A. Cynober and Yvon A. Carpentier and Jürgen M. Bauer and John E. Morley and Alessandro Laviano and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1097/mco.0000000000000436
01/2018Fetal DHA inadequacy and the impact on child neurodevelopment: a follow-up of a randomised trial of maternal DHA supplementation in pregnancy
British Journal of Nutrition
Kelly A. Mulder and Rajavel Elango and Sheila M. Innis
DOI: 10.1017/s0007114517003531
01/2018Lysine Requirements of Healthy Pregnant Women are Higher During Late Stages of Gestation Compared to Early Gestation
The Journal of Nutrition
Magdalene Payne and Trina Stephens and Kenneth Lim and Ronald O Ball and Paul B Pencharz and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxx034
01/2018Total Sulfur Amino Acid Requirements Are Not Altered in Children with Chronic Renal Insufficiency, but Minimum Methionine Needs Are Increased
The Journal of Nutrition
Rajavel Elango and Mohammad A Humayun and Justine M Turner and Mahroukh Rafii and Veronika Langos and Ronald O Ball and Paul B Pencharz
DOI: 10.3945/jn.116.244301
10/2017Relationships among Different Water-Soluble Choline Compounds Differ between Human Preterm and Donor Milk
Nutrients
Sara Moukarzel and Lynda Soberanes and Roger A. Dyer and Susan Albersheim and Rajavel Elango and Sheila M. Innis
DOI: 10.3390/nu9040369
04/2017The Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Method with the Use of L-[1-13C]Leucine Suggests a Higher than Currently Recommended Protein Requirement in Children with Phenylketonuria
The Journal of Nutrition
Abrar Turki and Keiko Ueda and Barbara Cheng and Alette Giezen and Ramona Salvarinova and Sylvia Stockler-Ipsiroglu and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.3945/jn.116.240218
02/2017Protein and amino acids
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
Rajavel Elango and Alessandro Laviano
DOI: 10.1097/mco.0000000000000343
01/2017Protein and amino acids: key players in modulating health and disease.
Elango R and Laviano A
PubMed: 27801686
01/2017Host conditioning and rejection monitoring in hepatocyte transplantation in humans.
Soltys KA and Setoyama K and Tafaleng EN and Soto Gutiérrez A and Fong J and Fukumitsu K and Nishikawa T and Nagaya M and Sada R and Haberman K and Gramignoli R and Dorko K and Tahan V and Dreyzin A and Baskin K and Crowley JJ and Quader MA and Deutsch M and Ashokkumar C and Shneider BL
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2016.12.017
PubMed: 28027971
12/2016Safety and Tolerability of Leucine Supplementation in Elderly Men
The Journal of Nutrition
Rajavel Elango and Betina Rasmussen and Kenneth Madden
DOI: 10.3945/jn.116.234930
12/2016Proposals for Upper Limits of Safe Intake for Arginine and Tryptophan in Young Adults and an Upper Limit of Safe Intake for Leucine in the Elderly
Journal of Nutrition
L. Cynober and D. M. Bier and M. Kadowaki and S. M. Morris and R. Elango and M. Smriga
DOI: 10.3945/jn.115.228478
11/2016Human Milk Plasmalogens Are Highly Enriched in Long-Chain PUFAs
Journal of Nutrition
S. Moukarzel and R. A. Dyer and B. O. Keller and R. Elango and S. M. Innis
DOI: 10.3945/jn.116.236802
10/2016Assessing resting energy expenditure in overweight and obese adolescents in a clinical setting: validity of a handheld indirect calorimeter
Pediatric Research
Paula Woo and Gayathri Murthy and Cindy Wong and Brenden Hursh and Jean-Pierre Chanoine and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1038/pr.2016.182
09/2016Protein Requirements during Aging
Nutrients
Glenda Courtney-Martin and Ronald Ball and Paul Pencharz and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.3390/nu8080492
08/2016Protein and Amino Acid Requirements during Pregnancy
Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal
Rajavel Elango and Ronald O Ball
DOI: 10.3945/an.115.011817
07/2016Recent developments in understanding protein needs – How much and what kind should we eat? 1
Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism
Paul B. Pencharz and Rajavel Elango and Robert R. Wolfe
DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2015-0549
05/2016Determination of the safety of leucine supplementation in healthy elderly men
Amino Acids
Betina Rasmussen and Erin Gilbert and Abrar Turki and Kenneth Madden and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1007/s00726-016-2241-0
04/2016Cardiac Autonomic Function at Baseline and under Stress and Its Relationship to Circulatory Markers of Inflammation in Obese Compared to Nonobese Children: A Pilot Study
Hormone Research in Paediatrics
Brenden E. Hursh and Mir Sohail Fazeli and Sarah Wang and Elizabeth A. Marchant and Paula Woo and Rajavel Elango and Pascal M. Lavoie and Jean-Pierre Chanoine and Jean-Paul Collet
DOI: 10.1159/000445685
04/2016Dietary Protein Requirement of Men >65 Years Old Determined by the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Technique Is Higher than the Current Estimated Average Requirement.
Rafii M and Chapman K and Elango R and Campbell WW and Ball RO and Pencharz PB and Courtney-Martin G
PubMed: 26962173
03/2016Dietary Protein Requirement of Men >65 Years Old Determined by the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Technique Is Higher than the Current Estimated Average Requirement
Journal of Nutrition
M. Rafii and K. Chapman and R. Elango and W. W. Campbell and R. O. Ball and P. B. Pencharz and G. Courtney-Martin
DOI: 10.3945/jn.115.225631
03/2016Treatment of Creatine Transporter (SLC6A8) Deficiency With Oral S-Adenosyl Methionine as Adjunct to L-arginine, Glycine, and Creatine Supplements
Pediatric Neurology
Sravan Jaggumantri and Mary Dunbar and Vanessa Edgar and Cristina Mignone and Theresa Newlove and Rajavel Elango and Jean Paul Collet and Michael Sargent and Sylvia Stockler-Ipsiroglu and Clara D.M. van Karnebeek
DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2015.05.006
10/2015Protein: A nutrient in focus 1
Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism
Emily Arentson-Lantz and Stephanie Clairmont and Douglas Paddon-Jones and Angelo Tremblay and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2014-0530
08/2015Minimally invasive 13C-breath test to examine phenylalanine metabolism in children with phenylketonuria
Molecular Genetics and Metabolism
Abrar Turki and Gayathri Murthy and Keiko Ueda and Barbara Cheng and Alette Giezen and Sylvia Stockler-Ipsiroglu and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2015.04.005
06/2015Lysine Requirements of Moderately Undernourished School-Aged Indian Children Are Reduced by Treatment for Intestinal Parasites as Measured by the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Technique
Journal of Nutrition
R. R. Pillai and R. Elango and R. O. Ball and A. V. Kurpad and P. B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.3945/jn.114.208439
03/2015Reply to DJ Millward.
Tang M and McCabe GP and Elango R and Pencharz PB and Ball RO and Campbell WW
DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.114.090324
PubMed: 25240088
10/2014Tolerability of Leucine in Humans
Branched Chain Amino Acids in Clinical Nutrition
Rajavel Elango and Ronald O. Ball and Paul B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1914-7_1
10/2014Dietary Protein Requirement of Female Adults >65 Years Determined by the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Technique Is Higher Than Current Recommendations
Journal of Nutrition
M. Rafii and K. Chapman and J. Owens and R. Elango and W. W. Campbell and R. O. Ball and P. B. Pencharz and G. Courtney-Martin
DOI: 10.3945/jn.114.197517
10/2014Protein Requirements of Healthy Pregnant Women during Early and Late Gestation Are Higher than Current Recommendations
Journal of Nutrition
T. V. Stephens and M. Payne and R. O. Ball and P. B. Pencharz and R. Elango
DOI: 10.3945/jn.114.198622
09/2014Healthy pregnant women in Canada are consuming more dietary protein at 16- and 36-week gestation than currently recommended by the Dietary Reference Intakes, primarily from dairy food sources
Nutrition Research
Trina V. Stephens and Hillary Woo and Sheila M. Innis and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2014.07.001
07/2014Assessment of protein requirement in octogenarian women with use of the indicator amino acid oxidation technique.
Tang M and McCabe GP and Elango R and Pencharz PB and Ball RO and Campbell WW
DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.112.042325
PubMed: 24429540
04/2014Assessing Energy Expenditure in Obese Adolescents in a Clinical Setting: Is the Handheld Indirect Calorimeter Valid and Accurate?
Canadian Journal of Diabetes
Paula P.W. Woo and Gayathri Murthy and Cindy Wong and Jean-Pierre Chanoine and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcjd.2013.08.205
10/2013Lysine from Cooked White Rice Consumed by Healthy Young Men Is Highly Metabolically Available When Assessed Using the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Technique
Journal of Nutrition
I. R. D. Prolla and M. Rafii and G. Courtney-Martin and R. Elango and L. P. da Silva and R. O. Ball and P. B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.3945/jn.112.166728
01/2013Splanchnic First Pass Disappearance of Threonine and Lysine Do Not Differ in Healthy Men in the Fed State
Journal of Nutrition
K. P. Chapman and R. Elango and R. O. Ball and P. B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.3945/jn.112.168328
01/2013Determination of the tolerable upper intake level of leucine in acute dietary studies in young men.
Elango R and Chapman K and Rafii M and Ball RO and Pencharz PB
DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.111.024471
PubMed: 22952178
10/2012Determination of the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of Leucine in Adult Men
Journal of Nutrition
P. B. Pencharz and R. Elango and R. O. Ball
DOI: 10.3945/jn.112.160259
10/2012Available versus digestible amino acids – new stable isotope methods
British Journal of Nutrition
Rajavel Elango and Crystal Levesque and Ronald O. Ball and Paul B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.1017/s0007114512002498
08/2012Recent advances in determining protein and amino acid requirements in humans
British Journal of Nutrition
Rajavel Elango and Ronald O. Ball and Paul B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.1017/s0007114512002504
08/2012Protein requirement of healthy school-age children determined by the indicator amino acid oxidation method.
Elango R and Humayun MA and Ball RO and Pencharz PB
DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.111.012815
PubMed: 22049165
12/2011Lysine a-ketoglutarate reductase, but not saccharopine dehydrogenase, is subject to substrate inhibition in pig liver
Nutrition Research
Desmond B.S. Pink and Stephanie K. Gatrell and Rajavel Elango and Joan Turchinsky and Aaron S. Kiess and Kenneth P. Blemings and Walter T. Dixon and Ronald O. Ball
DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2011.06.001
07/2011Evidence that protein requirements have been significantly underestimated
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
Rajavel Elango and Mohammad A Humayun and Ronald O Ball and Paul B Pencharz
DOI: 10.1097/mco.0b013e328332f9b7
01/2010Lysine Requirement of Healthy, School-Aged Indian Children Determined by the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Technique
Journal of Nutrition
R. R. Pillai and R. Elango and S. Muthayya and R. O. Ball and A. V. Kurpad and P. B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.3945/jn.109.113357
11/2009Measurement of homocysteine and related metabolites in human plasma and urine by liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry
Journal of Chromatography B
Mahroukh Rafii and Rajavel Elango and James D. House and Glenda Courtney-Martin and Pauline Darling and Lawrence Fisher and Paul B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2009.05.002
10/2009Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Is Not Affected by Period of Adaptation to a Wide Range of Lysine Intake in Healthy Young Men
Journal of Nutrition
R. Elango and M. A. Humayun and R. O. Ball and P. B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.3945/jn.108.101147
04/2009Amino acid requirements in humans: with a special emphasis on the metabolic availability of amino acids
Amino Acids
Rajavel Elango and Ronald O. Ball and Paul B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.1007/s00726-009-0234-y
01/2009An approach to defining the upper safe limits of amino acid intake.
Pencharz PB and Elango R and Ball RO
PubMed: 18806114
10/2008Indicator amino acid oxidation: concept and application.
Elango R and Ball RO and Pencharz PB
PubMed: 18203885
02/2008Individual amino acid requirements in humans: an update
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
Rajavel Elango and Ronald O Ball and Paul B Pencharz
DOI: 10.1097/mco.0b013e3282f2a5a4
01/20081.3.3 Protein
Pediatric Nutrition in Practice
Paul Pencharz and Rajavel Elango
DOI: 10.1159/000155244
2008Reevaluation of the protein requirement in young men with the indicator amino acid oxidation technique.
Humayun MA and Elango R and Ball RO and Pencharz PB
PubMed: 17921376
10/2007Application of the indicator amino acid oxidation technique for the determination of metabolic availability of sulfur amino acids from casein versus soy protein isolate in adult men.
Humayun MA and Elango R and Moehn S and Ball RO and Pencharz PB
PubMed: 17634258
08/2007Lysine requirement of healthy school-age children determined by the indicator amino acid oxidation method.
Elango R and Humayun MA and Ball RO and Pencharz PB
PubMed: 17684206
08/2007High-throughput and simultaneous measurement of homocysteine and cysteine in human plasma and urine by liquid chromatography–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry
Analytical Biochemistry
Mahroukh Rafii and Rajavel Elango and Glenda Courtney-Martin and James D. House and Lawrence Fisher and Paul B. Pencharz
DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2007.07.026
2007Minimum methionine requirement and cysteine sparing of methionine in healthy school-age children.
Humayun MA and Turner JM and Elango R and Rafii M and Langos V and Ball RO and Pencharz PB
PubMed: 17093160
11/2006Total sulfur amino acid requirement of healthy school-age children as determined by indicator amino acid oxidation technique.
Turner JM and Humayun MA and Elango R and Rafii M and Langos V and Ball RO and Pencharz PB
PubMed: 16522909
03/2006Parenteral and enteral routes of feeding in neonatal piglets require different ratios of branched-chain amino acids.
Elango R and Goonewardene LA and Pencharz PB and Ball RO
PubMed: 14704296
01/2004The branched-chain amino acid requirement of parenterally fed neonatal piglets is less than the enteral requirement.
Elango R and Pencharz PB and Ball RO
PubMed: 12368405
10/2002 - Research
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Determination of the optimal amounts of protein and amino acids to be added to medical foods in children with in-born errors of metabolism, including Phenylketonuria, Methylmalonic acidemia/Propionic acidemia
Children who are born with deficiency of an enzyme, have a block in metabolic pathways and causes toxic increases of some metabolites. Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by deficiency of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). PAH deficiency leads to increased levels of phenylalanine (an amino acid) in plasma. Similarly, Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA) and Propionic Acidemia (PA) involves children born with a defect in conversion of Methylmalonyl-CoA to Succinyl-CoA, which are formed from the metabolism of amino acids - methionine, threonine, isoleucine and valine. Treatment involves dietary restriction of these amino acids, with provision of added protein from specially formulated medical foods. We are exploring what amounts of protein and other amino acids are adequate for these vulnerable children to support growth, using minimally-invasive stable isotope based methods.Assessment of the protein quality of foods
While the amount of protein we eat needs to be optimal, dietary recommendations for protein are based on food sources. But food sources vary in their indispensable and dispensable amino acid content, with some foods quite rich and balanced, while some have a few key indispensable amino acids as too low. In addition, during digestion there is some loss of these amino acids, and will result in less amino acids available for growth and development in children. Thus, we are conducting experiments to explore how amino acids from various food sources are ‘metabolically available’ for protein synthesis in young children using state-of-the-art stable isotope based methods.Determination of protein and amino acid requirements during pregnancy and lactation
It is important that pregnant women eat an adequate amount and quality of protein to ensure healthy growth and development of the fetus. It is well known that pregnant women need more high quality protein in their diet, but how much additional protein is required remains unclear. There is reason to believe that current Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommendations for protein intake in pregnancy are too low. Additionally, metabolic adaptations that occur in a woman’s body throughout pregnancy result in different nutritional requirements during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters. To better define protein and amino acid requirements and identify good sources of protein throughout pregnancy, we are studying healthy pregnant women 19-35y, in their 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy using a stable isotope (L-1-13C-Phenylalanine) based technique.Honours & AwardsFood and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Expert Working Group Member, 2017
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Expert Working Group Member, 2014
Award from International Council on Amino Acid Science, 2014
Research Group MembersNoof AlMansoori, Graduate Student
Rose Amador, INSPIRE TRAINEE
Taylor Bailey, Graduate Research Assistant
Kaitlin Berris, Doctorate Student
Amanda Chen, Volunteer
Ariana Javer
Kendall Plant, Research Technician, Research Coordinator
Kerri Scherbinsky
Rhea Sidhu, START Trainee
Arati Swaminadhan, Graduate Research Assistant
7 things about child nutrition expert, Dr. Rajavel Elango
Parents want to feed their kids the right foods and the correct balance of key nutrients. But it's not always easy to tell the difference between helpful advice and harmful trends that have made their way into the mainstream. Dr. Rajavel Elango of BC Children’s Hospital is here to help.
