Dietary enhancement of intestinal radioresistance during fractionated irradiation.
Rats fed laboratory chow or elemental diet 3 were given fractions of 240 rads of 60Co gamma-radiation abdominally (1200 rads/week) until all animals had died. Changes in appetite, body weight, and mortality were monitored as a function of the cumulative dose received. More radiation was needed in the diet-fed group to achieve both 0 and 100% mortality, a difference of 37% at the mean lethal dose level. Both groups developed similar progressive anorexia but the diet-fed animals lost weight more slowly. Data indicate that basic intestinal radio-resistance is enhanced by feeding the elemental diet.
D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005720:Gamma Rays; D007422:Intestines / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011835:Radiation Protection; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D051381:Rats