Caloric compensation to gastric loads in rats with hypothalamic hyperphagia

Rats with hypothalamic hyperphagia were treated with gastric loads of an amount of calories in the form of glucose solution or vegetable oil, while daily food intake, weight change, and carcass fat content were used as indices of caloric compensation. This treatment revealed: (a) Rats responded to daily loads of either substance by reducing food intake without affecting weight gain. The suppression of food intake persisted as long as loading continued. However, loads of fat produced more variable results than glucose. (b) Loads of either substance did not enhance fat deposit as compared to the control loads of water or liquid paraffin. Finally, (c) there was no relaxation of caloric compensation even during the acute increase of food intake shortly following the placement of lesions in the ventromedial hypothalamus.