View article

Male rats weighing about 80 g, 5 rats for each of 7 treatments, were fed for 54 days on a basal test diet low in vitamin E and Se or supplemented with Se as selenite 0.5 or 1 mg/kg, or vitamin E 50, 100 or 500 IU/kg, or vitamin E 500 IU and Se 1 mg/kg. Another lot of 35 rats were depleted on the basal diet for 35 days, until they were losing weight, and then in 5 groups continued on that diet or were given with it vitamin E 250 IU/kg, or ethoxyquin 0.0125%, or Se 1 mg/kg, or both Se and vitamin E.Either Se or vitamin E when given from the start maintained normal growth rate, but after depletion for 35 days vitamin E alone reversed the weight loss and restored growth, while rats given Se or antioxidant went on losing weight. It is deduced that Se can spare vitamin E stores but cannot correct a deficiency of the vitamin once incurred.