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Influence of Increased Postnatal Food Intake on Body Composition of Progeny of Protein-deficient Rats¹

Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California 95616

Prenatal protein deficiency in rats results in a retardation of development which persists at least until weaning. Improved postnatal nutrition, achieved by decreasing litter size to four animals, largely compensated for the effect of prenatal protein deficiency on body weight gain, kidney weight gain, and the day of eye opening. Tibia length and thickness, however, were not increased in the small litters. At birth, the young of the protein-deficient mothers do not differ significantly in body composition from control newborn. Carcass analyses were made at birth and at 13 and 22 days after birth. Animals from small litters showed significant changes in body composition when compared to animals in normal-sized litters. The nature of these changes was the same in both control and prenatally protein-deficient young. Increasing food intake by reduction of litter size is suggested as a method for evaluating the postnatal reversibility of prenatal protein deficiency.

Manuscript received 26 April 1971.