Anemia and Edema of Chronic Choline Deficiency in the Rat

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Abstract
Prolonged feeding of diets deficient in choline produced an anemia in rats. The hemoglobin levels in the deficient animals ranged from 6.25 to 11.95 gm per 100 ml of blood. The anemia was prevented by dietary supplements of choline chloride or DL-methionine. The sodium salt pteroyl-diglutamic acid was ineffective as a curative agent. The prolonged feeding of diets low in protein and choline resulted in symptoms of severe nutritional edema in 7 of 12 rats. This condition was not observed in control animals receiving the same diets supplemented with choline.