Dietary protein restriction and selective preference for a protein-containing diet in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)

Role of learning in the selection of dietary protein in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus).

“…To this end, a number of changes were introduced in the procedure. In the earlier study described above (DiBattista & Campbell, 1998), the MD given to proteinrestricted hamsters was completely devoid of protein, and the intermittently presented protein-rich diet consisted almost entirely of soy protein. In addition, the hamsters had access to each of the intermittently presented protein-rich and carbohydrate-rich diets during separate 6-hr periods each day.…”

“…The time-restricted access procedure used previously (DiBattista & Campbell, 1998) was again used to examine protein selection in hamsters. The primary goal of Experiment 1 was to determine whether protein-restricted hamsters learn to discriminate between intermittently presented protein-rich and carbohydrate-rich diets by associating the orosensory properties of the intermittently presented diets (i.e., their flavors) with the consequences of their ingestion.…”

“…Composition of the flavored MDs is summarized in Table 4. The complete MD and the protein-deficient MD generally resembled those used in previous studies (DiBattista & Campbell, 1998). For each hamster, the two MDs had different flavors added to them to serve as markers (powdered garlic and sage, 2% by weight; McCormick, London, Ontario, Canada).…”

“…Despite these peculiarities, hamsters are similar to rats in responding adaptively when environmental circumstances make it more difficult than usual for them to obtain sufficient amounts of dietary protein (DiBattista, 1987(DiBattista, , 1991(DiBattista, , 1998DiBattista & Campbell, 1998;DiBattista & Holder, 1998). For example, when hamsters are kept on a fractionated diet over a period of days and allowed access to the protein-rich diet component for only 1 hr/day, they substantially increase their consumption of protein as the restriction period continues (DiBattista, 1987).…”

“…Furthermore, the increased consumption of protein-rich diet is a highly selective behavioral response. Thus, in a recent study hamsters were kept for 10 days on either a protein-free or a nutritionally complete maintenance diet (MD) and they were also given access to protein-rich and carbohydrate-rich test diets during separate 6-hr periods each day (DiBattista & Campbell, 1998). Hamsters on the protein-free MD demonstrated a large and selective increase in their consumption of the protein-rich test diet.…”