Normal Growth and Development of Female Chickens without Dietary Vitamin E or other Antioxidants

Abstract

Two studies are reported in which chicks were fed from hatching, purified, vitamin E-free diets containing no added antioxidants for 6 to 12 months. Chemical analyses indicated that α-tocopherol disappeared from the tissues of the chicks after 5 weeks. When compared with control chicks receiving vitamin E, the depleted chicks appeared normal, grew at the same rate and layed eggs at the same time. The possible tocopherol content of the diet, and the implications of these results on the nutritional and biochemical functions of vitamin E, are discussed.