CALCIUM BIOAVAILABILITY OF VEGETARIAN DIETS IN RATS - POTENTIAL APPLICATION IN A BIOREGENERATIVE LIFE-SUPPORT-SYSTEM

Calcium bioavailability of vegetarian diets containing various proport ions of candidate crops for a controlled ecological life-support syste m (CELSS) was determined by femur Ca-45 uptake. Three vegetarian diets and a control diet were labeled extrinsically with Ca-45 and fed to 5 -wk old male rats. A fifth group of rats fed an unlabeled control diet received an intraperitoneal OF) injection of Ca-45. There was no sign ificant difference in mean calcium absorption of vegetarian diets (90. 80 +/- 5.23%) and control diet (87.85 +/- 5.25%) when calculated as th e percent of an IP dose. The amounts of phytate, oxalate, and dietary fiber in the diets did not affect calcium absorption.