1998 Volume 36 Issue 1 Pages 29-35
In order to determine whether the oral calcium supplement therapy had any beneficial effect on bone debilitation, we examined the mandibular alveolar bone of weaned Wistar male rats aged 3weeks using Ca/P microanalysis and bone mineral mass. In the control groups, the rats were fed on a standard diet, low Ca diet, or Ca deficient diet for six weeks respectively. In the experiment groups, the rats were fed on a low Ca diet or Ca deficient diet during the first three weeks, with their food then changing to a standard diet, mixture diet I (cattle-bone powder: standard diet=1: 2) or a mixture diet II (cattle-bone powder: standard diet= 3: 1) during latter three weeks respectively. The results were as follows: 1) The mixture diet I group showed the best results among all of the experiment groups with both Ca/P microanalysis and bone mineral mass.2) The values of the Ca/P microanalysis and bone mineral mass in the experiment groups were higher than that of the pair-fed groups in the control groups.3) All of the values in the experiment groups were lower than the values of the standard diet group in the control groups. It was considered that the oral calcium supplement therapy had a positive effect on bone debilitation to a certain extent during the weaned period of rats, but it was not found to help the bone debilitation to recover completely to a normal level.
