Glucose and saccharin preference in alloxan diabetic rats.

Abstract

Seven experiments are described which investigate the taste preferences of alloxan diabetic rats for the carbohydrate glucose and the noncaloric sweetener, saccharin. In contrast to previous reports, diabetic rats exhibit a strong preference for the glucose. Under specific conditions, saccharin may be rejected by those animals, but the results of supplementary experiments suggest that the rejection results from an association of the taste of saccharin with the onset of the diabetes.

Acquired sensory preference for protein in diabetic and normal rats

“…Furthermore, if the preference is acquired, the reinforcing or US events under the above conditions could have been immediate nonspecific effects of streptozotocin treatment rather than effects of ingestion which are distinctive to chronic diabetes. Kakolewski and Valenstein (1969) and Brookshire, Stewart, and Bhagavan (1972) provided evidence that the onset of alloxan-induced diabetes establishes an aversion to saccharin which is presented at the same time.…”

“…Other groups had protein and fat presented as separate options. The protein diet was 40% in alloxan-treated rats presented with dilute glucose solution, instead of solid starch (Soulairac, 1948;Kakolewski & Valenstein, 1969); however, dilute carbohydrate may have positive reinforcement effects (Revusky, Smith, & Chalmers, 1971 ;Booth , Lovett, & McSherry, 1972), even in diabetic rats. Such results do not indicate how the preference develops.…”

Function of the "onset of illness" in the preference changes of alloxan-diabetic rats.

“…Alloxan-diabetic rats maintain a strong preference for glucose solutions (Kakolewski & Valenstein, 1969) and their preference for saccharin solutions is depressed (Brookshire, Stewart, & Bhagavan, 1972;Brookshire, 1974). In addition, there appears to be a reduced preference for NaCl in diabetic rats, but this effect is observed only under a restricted range of conditions, and the form of the aversion function over test trials has not emerged in a consistent fashion (Brookshire, 1974).…”

“…Since saccharin has little nutritional value, the rat's adjustment of intake would not seem to be based on a process parallel with that of glucose. Consequently, it has been proposed (Kakolewski & Valenstein, 1969) that the saccharin aversion of diabetic rats is not the result of some special relationship between that substance and the diabetic state but rather is an instance of taste-aversion conditioning such as 1 This research was supported by the Franklin and Marshall College Grants Committee, National Science Foundation Grant GB-3434.…”

“…Thus, it would appear that saccharin possesses some unusual property to which diabetic rats respond in a negative fashion. Clearly this property is not its "sweetness," since the diabetic rat highly prefers glucose and will differentially select the higher of 2 concentrations of glucose if given a choice (Kakolewski & Valenstein, 1969).…”