1.   It also plays an important role in lipid, carbohydrate, and protein metabolism of adults.

2.   It is probably due to the accompanying impairment in protein metabolism.

3.   Previous investigations of protein metabolism in these clinical disorders have centred on measurements of whole body protein turnover.

4.   These studies of whole body protein metabolism, however, simply reflect an average of events occurring in all individual tissues.

5.   Previous investigations of protein metabolism in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, like those in malignancy, have centred on whole body measurements.

6.   The results of these studies therefore provide further insight into the changes in protein metabolism, at the tissue level that occur in patients with gastrointestinal pathology.