Studies of Dietary Restriction and Rehabilitation II. Interrelationships among the Fat, Water Content and Specific Gravity of the Total Carcass of the Albino Rat

Abstract

The relations among fat and water content and the specific gravity of the total carcasses of 458 male albino rats were determined in connection with different types of dietary restriction and rehabilitation for varying lengths of time. The data were analyzed statistically for correlation coefficients (r) by the method of least squares. The results show that an inverse relationship exists between carcass fat and water and between carcass fat and specific gravity, and that a direct relationship exists between carcass water and specific gravity. Also, the calculated regression lines may make the indirect determination of fat or water possible when specific gravity has been determined. Specific gravity is, therefore, as good an index of the water content of the whole animal as it is of the fat content.