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A person who is on a long hunger strike and is surviving only on water, will have:

Correct answer: C. Less urea in his urine

  • A. Less amino acids in his urine
  • B. More glucose in his blood
  • C. Less urea in his urine
  • D. More sodium in his urine.

Explanation

During starvation, the body must rely on body proteins for the amino acids. On highprotein diets the carbon skeletons of the amino acids are oxidized for energy or stored as fat and glycogen, but the amino nitrogen must be excreted. To facilitate this process, enzymes of the urea cycle are controlled at the gene level. When dietary proteins increase significantly, enzyme concentrations rise. On return to a balanced diet, enzyme levels decline. Under conditions of starvation, enzyme levels rise as proteins are degraded and amino acid carbon skeletons are used to provide energy, thus increasing the quantity of nitrogen that must be excreted in the form of urea.

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About Homeostasis

Homeostasis maintains a stable internal environment through the kidney and urinary system, thermoregulation and excretion. The kidney topics include filtration, selective reabsorption, urine formation and water balance, while thermoregulation involves sweating, vasodilation, vasoconstriction and hormonal control; excretion is different from egestion, which removes undigested food.

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