Growth of Rats on Diets Containing Sodium Benzoate.

The increase in weight of young male white rats during a 40 day experimental period on diets containing sodium benzoate has been determined. The food consumption was regulated so that all of the rats received equal quantities of food of equivalent calorific value. The increase in weight of rats receiving the basal diet plus 1.5, 2.0 or 2.5% sodium benzoate was practically the same as that of rats receiving the basal diet. On the diet containing 3% sodium benzoate one-third of the rats died and the growth of the remainder was distinctly less than that of the control rats even though the food consumption was the same. The addition of glycine or of gelatin to the diet containing 3% sodium benzoate resulted in growth equal to that of rats on the basal diet. These results, based upon the consumption of equal amounts of food of the same calorific value, are in agreement with our earlier experiments in which similar diets were fed ad libitum.