Obese Zucker rats exhibit marked hyperphagia when compared to lean littermates but deposit a smaller percentage of total dietary energy as body protein. This study was designed to determine the roles of skeletal muscle protein synthesis, protein degradation, RNA, or DNA in producing the lower muscle mass of obese rats. At 44 days, 3 hindlimb muscles, the extensor digitorum longus (EDL), the gastrocnemius and the plantaris were significantly smaller in the obese animals. At 72 days, the differences in weights of these muscles were more pronounced. Protein synthesis and degradation were determined in the soleus at 44 days of age using an in vitro whole muscle incubation technique. Protein synthesis rate was significantly decreased in the obese animals. These changes were accompanied by reductions in both RNA and DNA levels. Significant changes in nucleic acid levels were observed in both the red and white portions of the gastrocnemius muscle. These changes in the anabolic process of protein accretion appear to be sufficient to account for the reduced muscle mass in the obese Zucker rat.