Abstract
In a recent preliminary report 1 it was shown that female rats could attain normal adult weight and exhibit normal ovulation on the highly purified diet 519† only when a small amount of lettuce or liver was added to the daily supplement of yeast and cod liver oil. There remained some doubt as to whether Vitamine B as found in yeast (antmeuritic B, plus growth B) was capable of making up the growth deficiency if the daily dose were somewhat increased. There was also naturally some question as to whether there might not be possible mal-effects in attempting to satisfy the entire energy requirements of mammals throughout the life cycle with sugar.
Vitamine B Requirements. In this paper we shall employ the term Vitamine B to signify both antineuritic B and purely growth promoting B, both being found in yeast and wheat germ. Eight groups of 3 or 4 animals each have been reared on diet 519† with daily doses of dried yeast or wheat germ as supplements for their Vitamine B requirements. It is especially important to note that we have reared all animals without access to faeces or bedding, i. e., on wire bottoms. The brief summary of results given in Table 1 brings out several interesting facts. 1. The growth was strikingly uniform in all groups and was subnormal, 180 to 190 gm. being the approximate normal weight at 90 days of age in females from our colony. 2. Animals receiving 1.0 gm. of yeast daily were not superior in growth or ovulation to those receiving only 0.7 gm. yeast. This would appear to establish that stunted growth of animals on these diets is not due to a shortage of Vitamine B, both components of which are normally abundant in our yeast.
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