Effect of sucrose and fructose macronutrient diets on feeding behavior of rats

Different carbohydrate sources in animal diets can affect feeding behavior. The absence of a diet standard, thus, has the potential to introduce a confounding factor into experiments. The main objective of this study, therefore, was to determine if the choice of either sucrose or fructose as the pure carbohydrate in a carbohydrate diet ration would affect feeding behavior in rats. It was found that during the light and dark phases: 1) fructose-fed rats selected significantly less energy from carbohydrate than sucrose fed rats, 2) fructose-fed rats selected more protein and lipid energy than sucrose fed rats, and 3) the total caloric intakes of the two groups were not significantly different. Differing postingestive effects of sucrose and fructose with subsequent compensatory intake may explain these results. Two different carbohydrate sources resulted in different macronutrient selection patterns, thus demonstrating the importance of the nature of dietary carbohydrate in the regulation of feeding behavior in rats.