Effects of Types and Levels of Carbohydrates and Proteins on Carcass Composition of Adult Rats

Abstract

To study the interrelationships among dietary carbohydrates and proteins upon the production of body fat and protein, 12 groups of young adult male rats (200 days old) were fed, for 14 weeks, purified diets with sucrose and 1, 3, or 6% nitrogen from lactalbumin or wheat gluten, or corresponding diets containing cornstarch. Sucrose-fed rats ate more and gained significantly more weight and fat than cornstarch-fed rats only when fed the two higher levels of protein. After adjustment of the data to take into account differences in initial body weight and calorie intake, fat gains were still significantly higher in sucrose-fed animals. More efficient utilization of protein in cornstarch-fed rats was indicated but only at the 1% level of nitrogen. The data indicated that changes in body composition of adult rats are dependent to a larger extent upon specific combinations of nutrients than upon weight changes and calorie intakes.