The Influence of Iso-Energetic Amounts of Sucrose and Starch on Serum Albumin Concentrations and Liver Composition of Weanling Rats Given a Low-Protein Diet

Abstract

Rats were fed a 21-percent protein diet, or isoenergetic amounts of 6-percent protein diets containing sucrose or starch, for 28 days. Although growth was retarded equally by both 6-percent protein diets, the pattern and degree of change in serum albumin concentration and liver composition was different, depending on the type of carbohydrate that was fed. Sucrose resulted in a greater fall in serum albumin compared with starch, and a larger liver, with a higher DNA, protein and fat content. Possible reasons are suggested for the lower serum albumin concentrations in the rats fed the 6-percent protein diet containing sucrose.

Effect of Dietary Substitution of Sucrose and its Constituent Monosaccharides on the Activity of Aromatic Hydroxylase and the Level of Cytochrome P-450 in Hepatic Microsomes of Growing Rats

“…In recent years it has been found that the ingestion of sucrose instead of starch by rats alters the levels of various enzymes in the liver that are involved in carbohydrate (1,6,8,9,17), lipid (4,6,7) and amino acid (6,10,12) metabo lism. Rats fed on a diet containing a high concentration of sucrose also have raised plasma cholesterol levels (2).…”