MINERAL BALANCE DURING BRIEF STARVATION. THE EFFECT ON SERUM ELECTROLYTES AND MINERAL BALANCE OF MAINTAINING THE INTAKE OF CERTAIN MINERAL CONSTITUENTS 1

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Abstract
Two obese cf patients were subjected to 2 periods each of 4 days'' starvation. During 1 fast each patient received only water; in the other a salt mixture, containing approx. the amts. of Na, chloride, K and P of a 1200-calorie diet, was given in addition to the water. Between the 2 fasting periods both patients were fed for 6 days a diet containing 1200 calories. Admn. of the salt mixture resulted in no lessening of the N lost by fasting and effected no alteration in the amt. of wt. lost. In one patient there appeared to be considerable saving of K from the salt misture, in the other patient none. On the 1st day of the fasts, large savings of Na and chloride were mainfest from the salt mixtures, but thereafter excretion of these elements was rapid; and the total amts. of Na and Cl lost over the 4 days were the same in the fasting periods with and without the salt mixtures. The Na, Cl and K of the mixtures were almost completely absorbed, as judged from the quantities of these elements in the stools and by the increased amts. appearing in the urine. There was no appreciable rise in phosphaturia when the salt mixture was given, as compared with fasting alone. In one of the patients there was heightened calciuria and hypercalcemia as a result of the salt mixture. The concns. in the serum of Na, Cl and K were uninfluenced by the salt admn. Stools were more frequent during fasting when the salt mixture was given, but only minimal amts. of the administered salts were recovered in the stools.

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