EFFECT OF HIGH PROTEIN DIETS ON SIZE AND ACTIVITY OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX IN THE ALBINO RAT1

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Animals fed raw ground beef (55% protein) or a 78% casein diet for 4-7 wks. showed a 40-50% increase in adrenal size when compared to control rats fed Purina fox chow (24.4% protein, 61% carbohydrate); the enlargement was primarily cortical. A similar degree of hypertrophy was observed after the feeding of a diet containing 60% casein and 20% carbohydrate; the low carbohydrate content of the previous diets was probably not the cause of the enlargement. The cortical cells of the enlarged glands showed lipid depletion. Saline extract of the ant. pituitary greatly increased the gland size of both chow and meat-fed animals over that achieved by diet alone. The carbohydrate levels in the 2 groups revealed elevations of the fasting blood sugar and liver glycogen in the meat-fed rats comparable to those seen after adm. of potent cortical extracts.