This study compares the prophylactic effects of two different diets and routes of feeding on restraint stress-induced gastric erosions in the rat. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were food-deprived and immobilized for 24 hours using a steel wire mesh. A small silicone tube was placed into either the proximal jejunum or the stomach via a laparotomy. There were three groups of ten rats (five jejunum-fed, five stomach-fed), receiving infusions (50 ml/24 h) of: (A) normal saline; (B) free amino acids (Vivonex HN, Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals) (60 cal and 0.318 G nitrogen); or (C) a peptide diet, with the nitrogen source as lactalbumin hydrolysate, otherwise identical to B. Gastric acidity was measured every 4 hours. At 24 hours, blood was collected and serum gastrin levels determined. The animals were then sacrificed and the stomachs examined. The results were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. Fewer gastric erosions and lower serum gastrin levels and gastric acidity were found in animals fed diets B and C, versus animals fed normal saline (p less than 0.05). There was no difference between groups B and C. Our results also show that enteral diets using the jejunal route are better than those using the gastric route in reducing the incidence of stress-induced gastric erosions in rats.