Preference for vegetable oils in the two-bottle choice test in mice

We evaluated in mice their preference for different vegetable oils using th e two-bottle choice test. Mice showed preference for all vegetable oils (at 1% concentration in emulsion) tested, including corn oil, canola oil, and mixed vegetable oil, compared to a control fluid without oil. Mice also sig nificantly preferred highly palatable sucrose solutions (5-20%) in this tes t. One percent corn oil was selected to the same extent as were these sucro se solutions. Mixtures of 1% corn oil and several concentrations of sucrose were preferentially selected as compared to corn oil or sucrose alone. The concentration-response curves of oil-sucrose mixtures vs sucrose (0.5-20% concentrations) were similar to those of sucrose vs control solutions. Thes e results suggest that 1% corn oil and sucrose at the concentrations tested did not affect each other's preference. Chronic intake of 20% sucrose solu tion, but not 100% corn oil, changed the preference for lower concentration s of each, and both induced remarkable increases in body weight of mice. In conclusion, we showed that mice preferred vegetable oils, and this prefere nce compared favorably with highly palatable sucrose solutions and was not changed by chronic intake of corn oil. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All r ights reserved.