Abstract
Fiftysix male weanling rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain weighing $52.6{\pm} 0.9g$ were fed with 77% starch-15% casein diet by ad libitum for four days to get them adapted and divided into eight groups. For three weeks, the body weight gain of rats was controlled in three different ranges. After the period of food restriction, the rats were recovered by being fed by ad libitum for seventeen days. During the experimental period, the amount of food intake and body weight were measured. And the experimental groups were compared when they reached at the same age and at the same body weight. Anterior Tibialis, Extensor Digitorum Longus, Soleus, Plantaris, Gastrocnemius were used as analytic items of skeletal muscle. Wet weight of muscle, muscle protein, water content were measured from each of five skeletal muscles. Sodium, potassium, magnesium content were measured from Anterior Tibialis, Extensor Digitorum Longus, Soleus ana Plantaris. Phosphorus was measured only from Gastrocnemius. The whole carcass protein except the skeletal muscles was also measured. During the period of food restriction, food intake was $311.7{\pm}19.5g$ for the control group. $130.2{\pm}1.5g$ for the second group and $161.7{\pm}2.1g$ for the third group. During the period of food restriction, body weight gain was $106.8{\pm}12.7g$ for the control group, $3.6{\pm}2.1g$ for the second group and $18.9{\pm}3.3g$ for the third group. Comparing the body weight when they reached at the age 66 days, the control group showed higher value than the other groups. In the concentration of electrolytes of skeletal muscles sodium and magnesium tend to increase and potassium and phosphorus tend to decrease by food restriction. But after their recovery, there was no significant difference between the groups. By the degree of food restriction, there was time difference in reaching at the same body weight. But when they reached at the same body weight, there was no significant difference in the value of electrolytes concentration. Regarding all the results of this study, the ages of rats which reached the same body weight were different by food restriction level during weanling. Once food·restricted rats reached the same body weight by recovery, the concentration of electrolytes and protein tend to become almost the same.