The effects of chronic cassava consumption, cyanide intoxication and protein malnutrition on glucose tolerance in growing rats.

Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests were performed at 4-week intervals in groups of weanling rats before and after feeding with maize- or cassava-based diets with and without adequate protein and sublethal cyanide supplementation. Weaning weights were doubled (increase of about 50 g) after 4 weeks on control (maize-based with adequate protein) and protein-replete diets. Weight gain on the protein-deficient diets was much less (22 g or 50%), a pattern maintained by the rats on these diets until the age of 12 weeks. Plasma thiocyanate levels were identical at weaning and after 8 weeks of the control diet but increased by 200-300% after 4 weeks intake of the cassava or cyanide-supplemented feeds. Levels returned to normal in all groups after a further 4 weeks feeding with the control diet. Glucose tolerance (as assessed by the area under the 2 h glucose v. time curve) was impaired to a varying extent in the rats after 4 weeks on the various diets: protein-replete cassava and protein-deficient maize diets by 50% protein-deficient cassava diet by 300%, and cyanide-supplemented protein-deficient maize diet by 150%. The derangement in the rats on the protein-replete cassava diet was unaffected by a further 4 weeks intake of the control diet, unlike in the other groups where there was significant improvement in the glucose tolerance indices at the same time. It is concluded that in growing rats: (1) cassava intake and protein malnutrition may have independent and additive effects on the genesis of glucose intolerance, (2) cyanide supplementation of a cassava-free protein-replete diet has no effect on glucose tolerance.