This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The aims of this study are to characterize better the nutritional factors regulating the acute response of albumin synthesis to feeding and to assess whether the response of albumin synthesis to feeding decreases with age. In particular we aim to investigate whether amino acids alone can stimulate albumin synthesis to the same extent as a complete meal and whether specific groups of amino acids (i.e. Essential, BCAA) or single amino acids are responsible for the stimulation of albumin synthesis rates. The acute effect of nutrients on albumin synthesis will be measured in both young and elderly individuals to investigate whether older people maintain a response to feeding and/or to specific dietary components. The results of this research may suggest patterns of eating, for example higher intakes of protein, that preserve the synthesis of albumin in the elderly allowing for the subsequent mobilization of these amino acids protected from oxidation by incorporation into albumin.