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Effect of Protein-deficient Diets with Various Amounts of Carbohydrate on Intestinal Disaccharidase Activities in the Rat^1,2,

Division of Human Nutrition, School of Home Economics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

To determine whether marked increases in intestinal disaccharidase activities previously observed in protein-deficient rats may have been influenced by a high proportion of carbohydrates in the diet, young rats of initial body weight 90 to 120 g were fed the following diets for 8 to 8.5 weeks: 1) 18% lactalbumin, 66% cornstarch (control); 2) 0.5% lactalbumin, 66% cornstarch; 3) 0.5% lactalbumin, 83.5% cornstarch. Compared with the controls, the jejunal lactase, sucrase, and maltase activities as well as the ileal sucrase and maltase activities were significantly higher for the two 0.5% lactalbumin diets. Further, the jejunal sucrase and maltase activities were significantly higher for the 0.5% lactalbumin, 83.5% carbohydrate group than for the 0.5% lactalbumin, 66% carbohydrate group. After 8.5 weeks on the 0.5% lactalbumin, 66% carbohydrate diet some of the animals were fed the control diet for 8 weeks (protein-repleted). The protein-repleted rats were not different in appearance from the controls, and the lactase and sucrase levels fell from the previously high values to approximately the levels found in the controls. However, the maltase activity in the protein-repleted group was significantly lower than in the control group. These findings indicate that the high proportion of carbohydrates in the protein-deficient diet is not the sole factor responsible for the increase in intestinal disaccharidase activities in protein-deficient rats.

KEY WORDS: • intestinal disaccharidase • protein deficiency

¹ Supported by grant no. A6249 from the National Research Council of Canada.

² The data presented are taken from a thesis submitted by Judith L. Adams in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutrition.

³ Person to whom reprint requests should be sent.

Manuscript received 18 June 1973.