Background. The aim of the study was to observe the effects of a modified diet, in which whole grains of cereals had been isocalorically substituted with wheat flour (type “500”) and saccharose, and supplementation with B-group vitamins, on selected calcium metabolism parameters in female rats.
Material and methods. The experiment was carried out on 36 female rats aged 6 months. Animals were fed two different diets. Groups I and II received clean tap water to drink, while group III had water solution of group-B vitamins.
Results. An analysis of the outcomes of the diet modifications allowed concluding that the females fed on the modified feed, either supplemented or non-supplemented, excreted more calcium with urine and exhibited its lower concentrations in blood plasma, as compared with the females fed on the standard feed. No significant differences, however, were observed in plasma ionized calcium concentrations in the studied animals, which implies that the regulation mechanism of its bio-active form concentrations is preserved. It has been found that the applied supplementation of the modified diet promoted bone calcium release inducing plasma alkaline phosphatase activity in this group of animals. Supplementation was also accompanied by a shift in calcium distribution manifested by its increased concentrations in erythrocytes.
Conclusions. Change in diet composition and supplementation were found to significantly affect calcium metabolism of the rats examined. Observed intracellular calcium accumulation may have been an underlying cause of an increased adipose tissue accumulation in B-group vitamin supplemented animals, which had been observed in previous studies.