DOES TASTE-AVERSION PLAY A ROLE IN THE EFFECT OF DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE IN ZUCKER RATS

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) reduces food intake in obese Zucker rats . To study the role of taste aversion on this process, we used two app roaches. First, we presented increasing concentrations of DHEA in chow to lean and obese Zucker rats, either in competition with unadulterat ed chow, or alone. Second, we examined energy intake following parente ral DHEA administration. Both lean and obese rats always preferred non adulterated chow to DHEA-supplemented chow. However, lean rats require d a higher DHEA concentration (0.06%) than obese rats (0.015%) to achi eve the same degree of aversion. When DHEA-supplemented chow was prese nted alone, only high concentrations (0.3 and 0.6% DHEA) decreased foo d intake. Rats given DHEA by IP injection (200 mg/kg/day) also decreas ed their energy intakes. The results demonstrate that although DHEA ca n cause taste aversion at low concentrations in Zucker rats, it does n ot alter energy intake until high concentrations are given. In additio n, nonoral DHEA also decreases energy intake in these animals. These r esults suggest that DHEA's antiobesity effect is not mediated by taste aversion.