Abstract
Summary
Comparisons were made of increases in brain, body, and other organ weights and of organ/body ratios of 18 infant rhesus monkeys assigned to a high (25%), standard (12.5%), or low (3.5%) isocaloric protein diet from 3 to 9 months of age. Significantly lower increases in body, brain, liver, pancreas, and adrenal weights were observed in the low protein monkeys. Pituitary weights did not differ among infants in the 3 diets. Significantly higher brain/body and pituitary/body ratios of low protein infants indicated that the brain and pituitary were significantly less affected by the low protein diet than the body, pancreas, liver, and adrenals. The higher brain and pituitary/body ratios of low protein infants may be interpreted as a “sparing” of these organs similar to that of adults, or that the organs had passed their most rapid growth when the infants were exposed to the 3 protein diets from 3 to 9 months of age.
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