Effects of Mineral and Vitamin Supplementation on Swimming Times and Other Parameters Related to Performance of Rats on a Low Calorie Regimen

Abstract

The effect of mineral and vitamin supplementation was studied on certain performance characteristics of rats on a low calorie, semipurified diet regimen. Male, albino, rats of the Charles River strain, 6 months old, were used. At a one-third ad libitum caloric level or less, the rats at nonsupplemented mineral-vitamin levels, on the whole, swam 26% longer than the groups receiving additional minerals and vitamins. This trend was the same with a low fat diet with corn oil and a relatively high fat diet with butter as the fat source. Lifespan was not affected at the 5% probability level by the mineral-vitamin supplementation used. A significant difference in blood glucose levels between rats receiving mineral-vitamin supplements versus those receiving none was found only after 10 days with one-third ad libitum caloric intake plus 9 days of complete caloric deprivation. However, the pooled results of blood glucose measurements during the whole period of caloric restriction showed no significant effect of the mineral-vitamin supplementation used. Likewise, water consumption was not significantly affected by mineral-vitamin supplementation. The same was true for weight loss.