BALANCE STUDIES IN HYPOPHYSECTOMIZED AND NORMAL RATS FED ON EQUICALORIC HIGH CARBOHYDRATE AND HIGH FAT DIETS1

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Abstract
Both hypophysectomized and control adult [male] rats were fed by stomach tube on sufficient food intake to maintain body wt. One group of each was given a diet of which 85% of the calories were provided by carbohydrate, while the others were given a diet containing 85% of the calories as fat. All animals were able to absorb the diets efficiently, although the hypophysectomized rats apparently did not absorb them so rapidly. The metabolic rates of all the groups, based on the balances, was the same within exptl. error except that of the carbohydrate-fed hypophysect-tomized animals which was 18% below the others. This lower rate was associated with an increased amt. of peripheral fat. The only other significant change in total body composition during the expt. was a loss of water from the hypophysectomized rats. This was true for both fat-fed and carbohydrate-fed groups. There was less fat in the livers and more in the peripheral tissues of the hypophysectomized rats than in the controls. This was particularly marked in the carbohydrate-fed animals. It would seem that fat once stored in the peripheral tissues is not readily utilized. Apparently within 17 days after hypophysectomy the ability to burn exogenous fat was not decreased nor was the tendency to oxidize carbohydrate significantly increased. Carbohydrate was readily converted to fat.

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