INFLUENCE OF GASTROINTESTINAL LOADS ON MEAL-EATING PATTERNS

Following 15 hr. of food deprivation, 2 groups of female rats were loaded with either 6 or 12 ml. of isotonic saline or a nutritive diet. Time elapsing between gastrointestinal loading and the initiation of subsequent mean eating increased as a function of both volume and caloric content of the loads. The size of Ss' 1st meals was affected in an inverse manner. In Exp. II, additional Ss were adapted to the same food-deprivation schedule used in Exp. I. Following loading, stomach retention and intestinal distention were determined. Whereas 6-ml loads were mainly confined to the stomach, 50% of the 12-ml loads passed into the intestine. The importance of intestinal vs. stomach factors in satiety are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.