Effects of Dietary Composition on Serum Calcium and Serum Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in the Growing Rat

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Abstract
One hundred forty-four growing male rats were used to study the effect of Ca (0.19, 0.48, and 0.78%), lactose (0 and 12%), EDTA-acid (0 and 0.2%), and buffering capacity of the diet (BC, 0.46, 0.54 and 0.76 ml of N HC1 required to reduce pH of 5 g of the diet by 1 pH unit) on serum Ca and alkaline phosphatase (SAP). The arrangement of treatments was a complete factorial (3 x 2 x 2 x 3), which allowed all possible combinations or the dietary variables in 36 diets with 4 replicates for each. Serum Ca increased with increased dietary Ca and 12% lactose. SAP increased with increased Ca intake, dietary BC, and feeding EDTA-acid. Increased serum Ca was related to increased total Ca absorption, whereas increased SAP reflected the decreased feed intake and decreased efficiency of Ca absorption.