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Studies of Dietary Restriction and Rehabilitation

I. Weight Changes and Food Consumption in Rats¹

Three Figures

Medical Nutrition Laboratory, Chicago, Illinois, an installation under the jurisdiction of the Surgeon General, Department of the Army

The effect of food restriction and subsequent dietary rehabilitation was studied on 342 young adult male albino rats. Fifty-four served as controls, 72 for restriction only, and 216 for 95 days of rehabilitation following 93 days of food restriction.

The effects of three types of dietary restriction and rehabilitation were determined. The dietary restrictions consisted of a quantitative reduction of a normal diet and two qualitative restrictions, i.e., a modified carrot (low protein) and a synthetic vegetable-like diet (low in proteins and high in salts). The rehabilitation diets included a high protein, a high fat, and a high carbohydrate diet. These diets, which were fed ad libitum, were isocaloric. Data were secured concerning changes in weight, food consumption, and caloric efficiency.

1. The rats lost an average of 28% in weight as a result of the different types and amounts of food restriction, but more weight (38%) was lost on the carrot diet than on the other restriction diets although almost three times as many calories were fed in this ration.

2. Independent of the type of preceding dietary restriction, the weight of the rats rehabilitated with the high fat diet increased more rapidly than the weight of animals rehabilitated with other diets. The high protein diet produced the slowest weight recovery and the high carbohydrate diet had an intermediate effect. At the end of the 95-day rehabilitation period, the rats rehabilitated on the high fat ration exceeded the control rats in weight, but the rats fed the high protein or the high carbohydrate diet did not quite equal the controls in weight.

3. In terms of calories per gram of food the intake during the first week of rehabilitation in the rats on the high fat diet was greater than in the controls.

4. During dietary rehabilitation all groups of rats showed an improved caloric efficiency (gain in weight per calorie consumed) when compared with the controls. Their level of caloric efficiency was equal to that of much younger (5-week-old) animals. This high caloric efficiency decreased with the completion of rehabilitation, but it was still greater than the caloric efficiency of the controls at the end of the rehabilitation periods.

Manuscript received 28 September 1949.