Some Physiological Effects of Salt Restriction in the Rat

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Abstract
A diet deficient in NaCl, fed for 30-150 days to 45, 65 or 160 g. rats produced a statistically significant reduction in the ascorbic acid content and an increase in the wt. of the adrenals per 100 g. of body wt. Relatively there was a decrease in the wt. of the thymus and spleen, an increase in renal wt. and no change in heart wt. Paired feeding expts. yielded similar results. Addition of NaCl to the drinking water partially corrected the effects of NaCl deficiency. The total number of blood leucocytes or % of lymphocytes or eosinophils was not affected by the deficiency. K deficiency, in addition to the production of changes similar to those of NaCl deficiency, also effected a significant lowering of the % lymphocytes and eosinophils.