Abstract
Various workers have suggested an increased Vitamin B12 requirement in animals fed different high protein diets. From the literature studies, relatively little information has been available on the vitamin B12 status of the animals maintained on high protein rations. An attempt was, therefore, mede to find out the vitamin levels in these animals. Animals were fed two different high protein diets with varied ketogenisity, one having egg albumin as the protein source and the other soybean. Vitamin B12 levels in blood, liver and kidney were found to be depleted considerably in high protein fed animals. Egg albumin which is known to contain more ketogenic amino acids than the soybean protein was found to cause more ketogenesis and more depletion of vitamin B12 in the liver, kidney and blood in the animals. A possible role of high protein diet on vitamin B12 status was discussed in the light of the observations on ketogenic potency of the protein. Glucose cyclo-acetoacetate hydrolysate, which was shown earlier to be a ketolytic compound, was found to prevent, to some extent, the depletion of vitamin B12 levels in high egg albumin fed animals.
