[Effect of the intake of imbalanced protein on the liver of growing rats]

The goal of the present work was to reproduce in laboratory animals situations frequently observed in low-income population, such as the insufficient energetic ingestion associated with protein sources of inferior quality. Corn was chosen as the protein source of low biological value and casein as the reference protein. The latter was administered in adequate quantity (20%) or equal to that of the corn (10%). Several biochemical parameters and the amounts of DNA, RNA and protein in the liver of rats in a phase of rapid growth were studied. In result, we can attest that the group fed on corn were the most seriously compromised in body weight, liver weight and biochemical parameters with the group fed a restricted diet of corn being the most seriously affected. The results suggest that the alterations caused by ingestion of a balanced diet restricted in quantity were less accentuated that those observed when the diet was of corn "ad libitum".