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Rebalancing essential amino acids intake by self-selection in the rat

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Gilles Fromentin  and
Stylianos Nicolaidis
Gilles Fromentin
Affiliation:
1Laboratoire de Neurobiologie des Régulations, CNRS URA 1860, Collège de France, 11 Place Marcellin Berthelot, F75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
Stylianos Nicolaidis
Affiliation:
1Laboratoire de Neurobiologie des Régulations, CNRS URA 1860, Collège de France, 11 Place Marcellin Berthelot, F75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
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Abstract

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The purpose of the present study was to assess whether rats are capable of selecting the right proportions of two diets that are individually inappropriate in terms of essential amino acid composition to satisfy their amino acid requirements. Rats were offered a choice of one protein-free regimen and another devoid of only one essential amino acid (either threonine or isoleucine) set up in such a way as to provide amino acid balance if they were consumed in 1/3 and 2/3 proportions respectively. Preliminary experiments had established that all our diets were aversive by themselves except for the 60 g casein/kg diet. Rats did reach almost the necessary proportion with, according to published standards (National Research Council, 1978), some excess in isoleucine intake. In addition, given access to two aversive diets that were each nutritionally inadequate, rats showed no aversion and gained body weight when they had the opportunity to consume both of them. Beyond the capacity that rats have of rebalancing their micronutrient intake, the present experiment brings out the idea that the imbalance-induced aversion: preference ratio may be completely upset when this omnivore has access to more than one feed.

Keywords

Dietary choicePreferenceConditioned taste aversion
Type
Essential amino acid selection by the rat
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 75 , Issue 5 , May 1996 , pp. 669 - 682
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1996

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