The Effect of Two Kinds of Diet (Zinc Deficiency and Iron Deficiency) on Some Anthropometrical Indexes (Body Weight and Body Length), Brain Growth and Motor Function in Young Rats

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of two kinds of diet (zinc deficiency and iron deficiency) on some anthropometrical indexes (body weight and crown-rump length), brain growth and motor function in young rats. Adult male and female albino wistar rats were obtained from the breeding colony of Pasteur Institute, Iran. The female albino rats were mated with normal male rats. After delivery, 40 male rats per group were selected. In order to measure physical and brain growth a special caliper (0.01 mm) and electronic balances (0.0001 g) were used. The instruments for motor function evaluation were Morris Water Maze and Open Field Arena. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and post-hoc analyses were carried out by Tukey’s test (P?0.05). There were significant effects of iron and zinc deficiency on serum iron and zinc level. The results showed that serum iron and zinc concentration after the diet (contrary to the condition before diet) in ZnD and FeD groups were significant. There was a significant difference in some anthropometrical indexes (body weight, crown-rump length) and motor function between ZnD, FeD and control groups but there was no significant difference in brain weight between ZnD, FeD and control groups. The results of this study suggest that sufficient zinc and iron affect motor function as well as physical and brain growth.