Spontaneous recovery from growth disturbances and osteopenia induced by a high carbohydrate diet in hamsters.

Femoral osteopenic changes characterized by a fall in metaphyseal trabecular bone volume (TBV) have been previously reported in hamsters fed a high carbohydrate diet for 45 days. In the present study the effects of the diet were assessed after 90 days. Serum P was significantly reduced (p less than 0.05) in experimental animals; serum Ca was unaltered. Disturbances in body growth had occurred as shown by a reduction in body weight gain (p less than 0.05) in the first 45 days of the experiment and by a decrease in femoral size (p less than 0.02). Osteopenia had also developed: the epiphyseal TBV decreased (p less than 0.05) as well as the thickness of both epiphyseal and metaphyseal trabeculae (p less than 0.001). However signs of partial recovery from this condition were observed as shown by an increased body weight gain in the last 45 days of the experiment (p less than 0.02) and lack of difference in metaphyseal TBV, assumed to be the more labile, between the 2 groups. Moreover bone formation significantly increased along metaphyseal trabeculae and the endosteal aspect of the cortices.