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Effect of Varying Dietary Zinc Intake of Weanling Mouse Pups during Recovery from Early Undernutrition on Growth, Body Composition and Composition of Gain

Departments of Nutrition ^* Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616

Catch-up growth during recovery from undernutrition is characterized by rapid body weight gain often marked by disproportionately high fat gain. In this study dietary zinc intake of mouse pups during recovery from undernutrition affected composition of gain as well as growth. Mouse pups were undernourished during the suckling period and then fed 25% casein recovery diets containing 5, 10, 40 or 110 µg Zn/g diet. Pups given dietary zinc levels of 40 µg Zn/g ad libitum achieved recovery body weights and had normal body composition. However, previously undernourished pups given marginal levels of dietary zinc (10 µg Zn/g diet) had similar food intakes, similar final body weights, lower lean body mass gains and greater fat gains (males only) than controls. Pups fed low zinc diets (5 µg Zn/g diet) were unable to attain recovery body weight and had less protein gain than previously undernourished animals fed higher zinc-containing diets or healthy pups fed the same zinc levels. The results were consistently more pronounced in males. Thus dietary zinc deficiency during catch-up growth after undernutrition limited both recovery and protein gain, whereas marginal dietary zinc intake limited protein gain in mice.

KEY WORDS: • undernutrition • malnutrition • protein energy malnutrition • zinc • trace elements • body composition • composition of gain • catch-up growth • compensatory growth • dietary zinc-to-protein ratio

Manuscript received 30 July 1987. Revision accepted 27 January 1988.