Effect of High Environmental Temperatures on Metabolism I. Growth and Blood Constituents of Rats Exposed to 94°F. for 72 Hours

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Abstract
Rats were subjected to a temperature of 94°F. for 72 hours and were then compared with control rats, which had been kept at a temperature of 72°F. In one set of trials they were fed ad libitum; in another they were restricted to 5 gm of feed. With ad libitum feeding, heat-treated rats consumed less feed than control rats. They lost weight, and the levels of riboflavin, vitamin A, ascorbic acid and alkaline phosphatase in their blood sera were significantly depressed, whereas the levels of total protein were significantly elevated. With restricted feeding, both control and heat-treated rats lost weight, and in the heat-treated rats only the vitamin A and ascorbic acid levels were significantly depressed. The exposure to high temperature had no effect on total carotenoid levels in either the ad libitum or feed-restricted groups.