FACTORS IN THE REDUCED SURVIVAL TIME DURING STARVATION IN THE COLD OF RATS PREVIOUSLY FED A LOW-PROTEIN DIET

Abstract

Male Wistar rats fed a low-protein diet (5% by weight) did not withstand subsequent deprivation of food at 5 °C or 23 °C as long as controls that had been fed a 20% protein diet isocalorically. This was also true in Sprague–Dawley rats which were studied only at 5 °C. This effect of the low-protein diet was not attributable to differences in food consumption, or in "resting" oxygen consumption. The rats fed low-protein had somewhat less fat when deprived of food but, perhaps more importantly, appeared to use less of their reserves of energy during food deprivation. Apparent water loss and thus dehydration appeared to be greater in these animals.