Influence of diet on growth in the rat.

Twenty-eight-day old male Sprague Dawley rats were fed, either ad libitum or in restricted amounts, isoenergetic diets containing 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, or 50% lactalbumin protein and 5%, 11.9%, or 21.1% fat for 8 weeks and were then killed. Weekly food consumption and body weight, terminal weight, body water and lipid, and liver weight, DNA, RNA, protein, and lipid were measured. The growth rate increased progressively with each increase in the level of dietary protein up to 25% protein and then declined. Growth was also accelerated by a high fat diet but was retarded by restriction of energy intake. Total body lipid correlated directly with the level of fat in the diet. Multiple regression analysis of the type: Y = beta0 + beta1X1 + beta2X2 + B3X3 + B4X4 where Y = rate of weight gain X1 = dietary protein level, X2 = protein efficiency ratio, X3 = appetite factor, and X4 = energy/protein ratio, showed that the maximum rate of weight gain of 58.8 g/week occurred when the diet contained 23% protein. Growth rate declined when the diet contained a higher protein level.