Adaptive appetites for salted and unsalted food in rats: Differential effectsof sodium depletion, DOCA, and dehydration

Abstract

Most ingested sodium is contained in food. The aim was to investigate whether sodium depletion, dehydration, or DOCA alters intakes of salted and unsalted foods by rats given choices of two foods: salted (0.2-0.5% Na) and unsalted food containing either similar or different other dietary components. Diuretic-induced (furosemide or acetazolamide, two treatments on successive days) sodium depletion always caused pronounced falls in intake of unsalted food within 24 h, continuing at least another 2 days (e.g., 20.9±1.6 pretreatment to 14.87±1.2, 10.67±1.5, and 14.3±1.3 g/day for 3 days of depletion). Intake and preference for salted food increased after 24-72 h (e.g., 6.57±1.2 pretreatment to 7..