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A protein breakdown study was carried out in ten post-operative patients, 24 hours after operation and after five days of peripheral parenteral nutrition; five of these patients were in a good nutritive condition (group A) and five were suffering from malnutrition and were critically ill (group B). Results indicate that the administration of amino-acids achieved a decrease in the degree of protein breakdown in the two groups under study, and also it was observed that better use was made of the nitrogen administered, particularly by the liver when the nitrogenous supply is completed with carbohydrates such as glucose. The difference obtained in values between the oxidized leucine and the leucine administered suggests that there is an endogenous donor pool, and the differences existing between breakdown and leucine oxidation values indicate that in group A, nourished solely with amino-acids, breakdown is lesser and oxidation greater than in group B, nourished with amino-acids and glucose, which suggests that there is more stimulation to re-use the amino-acids in this group.