Effect of feeding a carbohydrate-free diet on the growth and metabolism of preruminant kids

Abstract

1. Experiments were done using 8-d-old kids to determine the metabolic effect of feeding a carbohydrate-free diet, and the effects of supplementation of this diet with a small amount of glycerol, sodium propionate or glucose. 2. The experimental (carbohydrate-deficient) diets permitted growth nearly equal to that with the control diet (cow's milk). The kids given the experimental diets generally had lower levels of blood glucose than those given the control diet. 3. With all experimental diets there were increases in the concentrations of plasma lipid and total liver lipid and a decrease in the concentration of liver glycogen; supplementation of the carbohydrate-free diet with glycerol, sodium propionate or glucose had no additional effect on these values. 4. The ingestion of cow's milk produced hyperglycaemia 2 h after feeding, while in kids given the carbohydrate-free diet there was no increase in blood glucose level. The concentration of plasma free fatty acids in the kids given the carbohydrate-free diet was higher than that in control animals 24 h after feeding, suggesting that the kids given the experimental diet preferentially utilize free fatty acids as an energy source.