The Change in Food and Water Consumption and in Faeces and Urine Production in Ageing Male Rats

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Abstract
The types of change with age observed in male rats in this study were, firstly a change related to the cessation of growth, and secondly a change appearing in senility. Both food consumption and feces production per unit metabolic body size showed a moderate decrease from youth to middle age, in association with the cessation of growth, followed by small increases in old age and senility. The daily water consumption per unit metabolic body size decreased from youth to middle age and then increased from old age to senility. Urine production remained relatively constant from youth to old age, after which the output of urine per unit metabolic body size increased. In the last 200 days of life progressive reductions occurred in the consumption of food and in the production of feces and urine, as the rat approached death.