Meal patterning in the streptozotocin-diabetic rat.

The free feeding behavior of 5 streptozotocin-diabetic rats and 5 sham injected rats was monitored both prior to and after the induction of diabetes. After streptozotocin injection, there was a marked increase in total intake resulting from the ingestion of large meals of long durations. Neither the postprandial relationship nor the circadian intake cycle were altered during diabetes. The results were interpreted as supporting the glucostatic theory of food intake regulation and suggest that the principal influence of insulin on feeding behavior is to promote the termination of feeding bouts.