Cookie-cue effects on delay discounting in binge-prone rats exposed to a restricted high-sugar diet

Acute and chronic consumption of sugar-rich foods alters the probability of binge eating and reinforcement processes related to self-regulation of food intake. While delay discounting-preference for smaller, more immediate outcomes over larger, delayed ones-is linked to binge eating, the role of diet is less studied. We examined the extent to which acute food presentation (i.e., food cues) affected food delay discounting in binge-eating prone (BEP) rats exposed to chronic, but restricted, high-sugar diets. Female BEP and binge-eating-resistant rats were randomly assigned to a chronic Oreo-plus-chow diet, where 22.5% of calories came from sugar, or a chow-only diet. Delay discounting for sucrose was assessed twice: first under baseline and then followed by an acute cookie-cue condition where rats consumed a morsel of Oreo cookie immediately before the second session. Cookie cues induced higher delay discounting relative to baseline for all rats. A significant Binge Proneness × Diet interaction was observed. Binge-eating-prone rats with the chow-only diet exhibited higher delay discounting than BEP rats given the Oreo-plus-chow diet. These findings indicate that cookie cues increase delay discounting but also suggest that limited and consistent access to sugar may serve as a protective factor that decreases delay discounting in binge-prone organisms.