Influence of Age on Degree of Renal Hypertrophy Produced by High Protein Diets. ∗

Abstract

Three adequate diets which contained 18 per cent, 31 per cent and 70 per cent of protein in the form of casein, which differed only in respect to a replacement of cornstarch and lard by casein, were fed to three groups of male albino rats from the time they were 26 days old until they were 70 days of age. The animals were then killed and the kidney weights ascertained. Table I shows that as the amount of protein increased there was a considerable increase in the weight of the kidney.

The same diets were also given to adult rats from the time they were 346 days of age until they were 400 days old. Table II shows that the increase in the consumption of protein had little effect on the weight of the kidney in these older rats.