Effect of Tryptophan Deficiency during Lactation on Bones and Teeth of Rats

It is well established that diets which may be adequate for growth may become inadequate during the stress of either pregnancy or lactation.' In addition to the general symptoms of protein deficiency per se which may occur on diets devoid of single indispensable amino acids, dietary deficiencies of certain of the indispensable amino acids also result in specific differences. Thus differential effects have been reported in rate of growth2 and survival,3 as well as tissue pathology.3-6 The epiphyseal cartilage of the long bones, as well as the alveolar bone, has been shown to be particularly sensitive to amino acid deficiency.7 8 The present investigation was designed to answer the question as to whether a deficiency of tryptophan in the diet of the mother rat during lactation would have any deleterious effect on the offspring.