Effects of wheat bran on the metabolism of calcium-45 and zinc-65 in rats.

Metabolic balances of orally administered tracer doses of 45Ca and 65Zn were carried out in 20 weanling male rats to examine the effect of different levels of wheat bran (0.5 10 and 15%) on the bioavailability of these minerals in diets containing respectively 9.32, 9.26, 9.28 and 10.76 mg/g of calcium and 58, 63, 68, and 76 ppm of zinc. To estimate the influence of adaptation to feed consumption, the experiment was repeated after a 10-day period of adaptation; a split-plot-in-time design was used for statistical analysis. The growth rate was not affected by bran administration. No significant change was found in 45Ca or 65Zn absorption due to the addition of wheat bran to the diets. The results in the two repetitions were the same.