Interrelation of Fat, Carbohydrate and Vitamin E in the Diet of the Growing Rat

Abstract

The growth-promoting properties of corn oil and butterfat for the vitamin E-depleted rat have been compared using lactose or sucrose as sources of carbohydrate both in the presence and absence of supplemental vitamin E. In the absence of supplemental vitamin E and with lactose constituting the carbohydrate component of the diet, butterfat supported a rate of growth which exceeded that produced by corn oil. With the administration of vitamin E, however, no demonstrable difference between the two fats was evident on either the lactose- or sucrose-containing rations. Young rats depleted of vitamin E by preliminary feeding for two weeks on a ration containing tri-o-cresyl phosphate and sulfathalidine likewise grew better when butterfat replaced corn oil on lactose diets which were not supplemented with vitamin E. Some improvement in growth performance on the corn oil-lactose diet was effected by supplementation with vitamin E. The nutritive superiority of butterfat over corn oil, was retained, however, even in the presence of supplemental vitamin E on rations containing either lactose or sucrose. The incorporation of sulfathalidine into rations complete with respect to vitamin E resulted in depressed growth which could be partially overcome by replacing corn oil with butterfat. Whether or not these observations are due to known components of butterfat cannot be decided on the basis of present evidence.