Inter-relationship between vitamin D deficiency and diet restriction in rats

ABSTRACT

This experiment was conducted to try to investigate the interrelationship between vitamin D deficiency and malnutrition and their effect on growth, whether occurring solely or combined. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats weighed 110 + 5 gm were used in this study. They were divided into four nutritional groups according to the diet served. The first group, control [C], comprised six rats, received the basal diet [diet A] ad libitum, and the second group [M + D], received the same diet in restricted amounts. The third and fourth groups received the rachitogenic diet [diet B], that contained only 0.47% calcium and 0.3% phosphorus, and were not supplemented by vitamin D. The third group R, received diet B ad libitum, while the fourth group, M-D received it in restricted amounts. The experiment lasted for six weeks after which period all animals were weighed and sacrificed by exsanguination under ether anesthesia. The results showed that the vitamin D deficient group R, had a reduce weight gain, 46.6 gm, when compared to the control group, C, 85.7 gm [P < 0.05], though fed ad libitum. The decreased food intake was not enough to explain the decrease in weight gain. The food efficiency ratio for the control group was higher than the R group. The results also showed that in spite of low calcium intake, the plasma calcium concentration was not much reduced in the M + D, R, and M-D groups. The phosphorus intake was markedly reduced in the latter three groups and the plasma level was only mildly affected than in the control group [P <0.05]. The 25-OHD3 level was not only reduced in the D deficient groups but it was found to be also reduced in the M + D group which is receiving vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus sufficient diet [P <0.001] for the D-deficient groups and [P <0.-5] for the M + D group, when compared to the control group