Effects of diets with different content in protein and fiber on embryotoxicity induced by experimental diabetes in rats.

Three groups of streptozotocin-diabetic rats were maintained during pregnancy on three hyperproteic diets with different protein contents. These differences were compensated by an equal quantity of fiber (group 1: protein 55.0%, fiber 4.5%; group 2: 45.0%, 14.0%; group 3: 35.0%, 24.0%). Three groups of nondiabetic pregnant rats were fed with the same diets and served as control. The differences of the daily protein intake among the diabetic groups were less pronounced than those expected on the basis of the diet composition, and the embryopathic effects (reduced fetal weight, increased in malformation and resorption rate) were not statistically different among the three groups of diabetic animals. The frequency of congenital malformations was higher than that observed in a previous experiment in diabetic rats maintained on a standard diet, but much lower than that observed in animals fed on a purified, fiber-poor, normoproteic diet. When the caloric intake of the diabetic rats in the different groups was determined it was found to be similar for all of them and also similar to the caloric intake of the rats given a standard nonteratogenic diet (in previous experiments), while the rats maintained on a normoproteic, teratogenic diet increased their caloric intake. These results seem to indicate that the diet composition greatly influences the intake of food and calories of pregnant diabetic rats and this may play a role in modulating the embryopathic effect of diabetes.