Effect of a high-fat diet on the excretion of bisulphite-binding substances in the urine of rats deficient in vitamin B1

Tim first indication that rats can be maintained on a low intake of vitamin B1 provided that their ration contains a high proportion of fat was given by Evans & Lepkovsky [1928].Since then a number of experiments have been done on the effect of fat in delaying the onset of beri-beri or polyneuritis.It has been found that even synthetic fats have this characteristic action.In earlier work in this laboratory [Banerji & Harris, 1939], it was observed that rats on a diet deficient in the vitamin excreted large amounts of bisulphitebinding substances in the urine, and that the extent of the abnormality was proportional to the degree of the severity of the deficiency.It was therefore thought worth while to investigate the effect of high-fat diets on this feature of the avitaminosis.Another abnormality which has been intensively studied in this Institute is the bradyeardia seen in the deficient rat [e.g.Drury & Harris, 1930;Birch & Harris, 1934] and the opportunity was therefore also taken to study the effect of the high-fat diets on the heart rate. EXPERIMENTALThe bisulphite-binding.substances in the urine were measured according to the method of Clift & Cook [1Q32].In one of the experiments, however, 5 ml. of 15 % Na2HPO4 solution were used, in place of 5 ml. of saturated NaHCO3 * 1 atmospheres at pH 8-9.'13*30