Bone Morphology, Strength and Density Are Compromised in Iron-Deficient Rats and Exacerbated by Calcium Restriction

Rats fed an iron-deficient diet develop decreased bone mass and increased fragility. This study documents that rats fed two minerals likely to be low in American diets, calcium and iron, had dramatic changes in bone density and morphometry. Weanling male Long-Evans rats were fed a diet that was either deficient in iron (5–8 mg/kg or 89–143 μmol/kg diet), low in calcium (1.0 g/kg Ca or 0.025 mol/kg diet) or deficient in both minerals or a control...