Popis: |
Using two different experimental feeding paradigms, patterns of diet selection were examined in rats given monosodium glutamate (MSG) as neonates. In both Experiment 1 and Experiment 2, rats received subcutaneous injections of either 4 mg/g MSG or distilled water on alternate days from Day 3 to Day 19 postnatally. As previously reported, MSG-treated rats were shorter and had a greater mean Lee Index of obesity than vehicle-injected control animals. When provided with a choice of separate sources of the three macronutrients, protein, fat and carbohydrate, MSG-treated rats comsumed significantly more carbohydrate and less protein than vehicle-injected controls. Similarly, MSG-treated animals given access to a carbohydrate (32% sucrose) solution in addition to a standard laboratory diet (ground Purina Laboratory Chow) took in a significantly greater proportion of their daily caloric intake from the carbohydrate solution than did controls. The pattern of diet selection in MSG-treated animals is contrasted with patterns of diet selection in animals with other forms of experimental obesity. |