The Effect of Diet Protein on Late Burn Mortality

Summary

The effect of protein in the diet on late mortality, food intake, and weight changes of severely burned mice was studied. Mice were fed ad libitum diets containing low (6%), adequate (20%) or high (40%) casein protein diets supplemented with carbohydrate and fat to make caloric contents equivalent. Three diet regimens were used: (a) adult mice fed the diets after thermal injury; (b) weanling mice reared on the diets which were continued after burning; and (c) adult mice fed the diet for 3 weeks prior to thermal trauma and continued on the same diet afterward. The results show that on all diet regimens a low-protein diet produced a significantly higher late mortality in burned mice and an increased weight loss when compared with burned mice fed an adequate protein diet. In contrast, a high-protein diet did not prove more beneficial by the same criteria than an adequate-protein diet. In all groups compared, food intake was not significantly different. When various amounts of methionine (also reported to be beneficial in experimental burn shock and wound healing) were added to the low-protein diet, survival did not improve.