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A Study of the Dietary Factors Concerned in Nutritional Muscular Dystrophy¹

Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska, College of Medicine, Omaha

1. Muscle dystrophy in the rabbit could not be prevented by the addition of the following supplements, singly, to diet 13: Dry alfalfa, a vegetable oil, lettuce, vitamin A (carotene in oil), vitamin E (cold pressed wheat germ oil), or vitamin B (yeast).

2. Neither the omission of the ethereal-ferric chloride treatment nor the substitution of aqueous-ferric chloride treatment of the basic diet entirely abolished its dystrophy producing effects.

3. Prevention of muscle dystrophy as well as cure of the dystrophy already developed was effected by feeding the following supplements along with the dystrophic diet 13: Fresh green alfalfa, lettuce and vitamin E (wheat germ oil), dry alfalfa and vitamin E (wheat germ oil) or whole wheat germ.

The experimental results lead to the conclusion that there must be at least two factors involved in the prevention or in the cure of muscle dystrophy. Both factors are present in fresh green alfalfa or in whole wheat germ. On the other hand, one of these factors is supplied by wheat germ oil (cold pressed), while the other is present in lettuce or in dry alfalfa. At least one of the factors is easily destroyed by ethereal-ferric chloride, by drying or by extraction with water or alcohol.

Manuscript received 17 February 1936.