This studies protein metabolism in chronic renal failure patients at different stages of their disease including prior to initiation of dialysis and after the start of dialysis, and protein metabolism in chronic dialysis patients treated with different dialysis modalities. Protein and calorie malnutrition has been shown to be highly prevalent in chronic renal failure patients and is closely associated with the outcome of this patient population. The prevalence of malnutrition has been estimated to range from approximately 20 to 50 % in different renal failure patient populations using multiple indices of nutritional status including biochemical parameters and body composition analysis.