Studies on the Intestinal Absorption and Excretion of Calcium and Phosphorus in the Pig

that the addition of beryllium carbonate to the diet of animals decreases the absorption of phosphorus from the intestine. Since it is thought that a considerable proportion of the P absorbed from the intestine is absorbed as orthophosphate, it has been suggested that when beryllium carbonate is added to the diet absorption of P is limited owing to the formation of insoluble beryllium phosphate. However, a considerable amount of the P of cereal foodstuffs is present as phytate which must be hydrolysed before absorption of P can take place. Lowe & Steenbock (1936) compared the total and inorganic P content of faeces of rats on a diet containing phytate with the total and inorganic P content of the faeces of rats on an identical diet to which 3 % beryllium carbonate had been added and concluded that the hydrolysis of phytate in the gastro-intestinal tract of the rat was greatly diminished by beryllium carbonate. Thus, it seems that two factors may contribute to the reduced P absorption: a pre-