Analytical and Experimental Study of the Effects of Increased Protein with Liberal Calcium and Riboflavin Intakes: Complete Life Cycles

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Abstract
In view of recent advances in the biochemistry of calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin A, long-term experiments have been made (with rats) to test the effect of increasing the protein content of the diet from an initial 16% to 20% in the air-dry food mixture, the basal diet being liberal in its calcum, riboflavin and vitamin A content. With this basal diet the increase of protein intake proved more advantageous in its long-term effects than had been the case in the corresponding work by Slonaker ('39). Animals receiving food containing 20% as contrasted with 16% of protein showed increased growth and attained a larger adult size and the females made higher reproduction records, though direct chemical analyses of body tissues showed no measurable change of concentration of protein, phosphorus, or riboflavin. Hypotheses relating to the greater precision of some long-term criteria than of direct chemical analysis by present-day methods are discussed briefly. The moderate difference of protein intake here studied did not significantly influence the length of life or the percentage of young reared, though the higher protein diet did result in somewhat larger size in both sexes and in the rearing of more and larger young.

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