Nutritional utilization of a low protein diet in alloxan diabetic rats

Dietary control is known to influence diabetic processes. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to determine possible effects brought about by two different dietary protein levels on the nutritional diet utilization in alloxan-diabetic rats. Rats were divided in two groups: 1) One fed on 12% and 2) one a 4% protein diet. Each group was then divided into two subgroups: A) non diabetic and B) diabetic. Weight parameters, food intake, food efficiency (FE), digestive efficiency (DE), metabolic utilization (MU), retained N/ingested N ratio as well as initial and final glycemia were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. A decrease in body weight, FE, DE and MU was observed in the control rats of group 2A, in comparison with the group 1A. Experimental diabetes led to increased FE in 1B group in relation to those of group 1A. Also decreased body weight and FE as well as increased food intake and DE were found in the control animals of 2B group. Glycemia increased in diabetic rats as compared with non-diabetic rats, in both groups, 1 and 2. The data suggest that under the experimental conditions cited, both the nutritional utilization of the diet and the diabetogenic status might be modulated by the dietary protein ingested level.