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Effect of Protein Intake on the Bones of Mature Rats¹

Department of Physiological Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

The effects on body weight and on the humeri of rats produced by feeding to mature rats for 30 days equal amounts of essentially isocaloric diets containing 4.5, 9.0, 13.5 and 18.0% protein as lactalbumin have been determined. The following conclusions are drawn:

1. A diet containing 4.5% protein will not support body weight of mature rats while diets containing 9.0, 13.5 and 18.0% protein permit an increase in body weight in approximate proportion to the protein content.

2. A diet containing 13.5% protein supports a degree of skeletal constitution in mature rats equal to that of a diet containing 18.0% protein.

3. Diets containing 9.0 and 4.5% protein are inadequate to support normal skeletal constitution in mature rats.

4. Diets containing 9.0 and 4.5% protein interfere with the growth in length of the humeri of rats which are near the end of the period of skeletal growth, but retardation of skeletal growth does not account for all the skeletal changes caused by feeding protein deficient diets.

5. The composition of the bone ash is not affected by feeding protein deficient diets to mature rats.

Manuscript received 28 January 1948.