The Effect on Growth of the Level of Manganese in the Diet of Rats, with Some Observations on the Manganese-Thiamine Relationship

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Abstract
Seven different levels of manganese intake have been used in an effort to establish the optimum dietary manganese level for growth in white rats. A wide range of manganese intake (0.1 to 20.0 mg per mother rat per day) is permissible during the lactation period. This is probably a reflection of the inefficient passage of dietary manganese into the milk, as well as of inefficient absorption from the intestinal tract of the mother. The young, therefore, have a lower level and narrower range of manganese intake than are apparently provided by the diet of the mother. After weaning, the optimum manganese intake for growth is 2 mg per rat per day at 30 days of age and about 3.75 mg per day at 50 days of age. At the levels fed in this experiment there is no evidence of antagonism between dietary manganese and thiamine with respect to the growth function.