Growth and Calcification on a Diet Deficient in Phosphate But Otherwise Adequate

Abstract

A diet comparable in rickets producing quality to the current rachitogenic diets is shown to be adequate for normal growth when phosphate is added. Addition of vitamin D to this or to other low phosphorus rickets producing diets does not lead to normal growth. Addition of vitamin D to rickets producing diets (low phosphorus rickets) prevents the anatomical signs of rickets but does not produce bone ash per cent values equal to those of stock diet animals of the same age or of the same weight; phosphate addition is required to bring the composition to normal. It is pointed out that the visual signs of rickets do not necessarily correspond to bone composition, and the differences between the experimental rickets of rats and the spontaneous rickets in other species are discussed.