Effect of Feeding Animal Tissues on “Meat Anemia” in Mice

Abstract

Young mice maintained with a diet of muscle meat of beef, pork or chicken developed a severe anemia. When the diet consisted of heart muscle of beef or of fish muscle no anemia occurred. Replacement of one of 4 parts of beef muscle by liver completely prevented the anemia. Kidney and spleen were less effective, and brain was almost ineffective. Livers of various animals exhibited different anemia-preventing potencies. The most potent were beef and sheep, followed by rat, pig, human and chicken liver. Severe heat treatment or drying of the liver did not destroy its anemia preventing potency.