Control of physiological response in the rat by dietary nutrient concentration

In three separate experiments, growing, male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets which contained: 1) graded levels of fiber 0-70%, 2) graded levels of pyridoxine 1-10 mg/kg diet, and 3) graded levels of casein 0-30%. The following physiological responses were measured in each respective experiment: 1) food intake, weight gain, serum triglycerides, 2) food intake, weight gain, SGPT levels, and 3) weight specific food intake, weight gain, relative testes weight. Diets were fed as a single source, and in each case, physiological response could be predicted as a function of dietary nutrient concentration. When self-selection is prevented, rats establish new steady-state response profiles, which are sigmoidal in shape and dependent on the interaction of the rats' genetic potential with the environmental configuration.