L-threonine supplementation increases the amplitude of the feed intake cycle of rats fed a low-protein zinc-deficient diet.
Rats fed a Zn-deficient diet show characteristic variations in feed intake. These variations were followed by means of a personal computer. The specific feed intake patterns in rats fed a zinc-deficient diet before and after supplementation with protein and several essential amino acids were determined. The high-protein diet decreased the amplitude of feed intake under zinc deficiency, probably because of a decrease in sensitivity to the deficiency. Furthermore, the zinc-deficient diet was supplemented with essential amino acids, and of them L-threonine showed the most marked effect on the increased variability of feed intake.
D000601:Amino Acids, Essential / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004435:Eating; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013912:Threonine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015032:Zinc / Q000172:deficiency*
D000601:Amino Acids, Essential; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D013912:Threonine; D015032:Zinc