Effect of various amounts of folic acid added to rat food on food intake and some parameters of carbohydrate metabolism.

Abstract

Male Wistar rats were given for 14 days folic acid as an addition to standard LSM food at the doses of 0.22 mg (group II), 2.2 mg (group III), 2.6 mg (group IV), 11 mg (group V) and 16.5 mg (group VI) per day/rat. In the beginning a decrease in body weight was observed and from the 7th day the weight started to increase to reach control value in all groups on the 14th day. Food intake was deteriorating with the acid concentration. The increased glucose and decreased insuline level in rat blood serum which were highly significant for groups IV and V as compared to control for the former parameter and significant for group V as compared to groups I and II for insuline indicate an effect of the excess of vitamin on endocrine function of pancreas. Increase in the muscle glicogen may result from intensified glicogenesis and gliconeogenesis processes due to folic acid.