Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) poses a significant socio‐economic burden to modern society and is a chronic relapsing disorder. Chronic alcohol consumption not only impairs the emotional states but also induces malnutrition. Neuroendocrine peptides, which are known to be regulators of nutritional status, can impact the reinforcing properties of alcohol. Therefore, altered neuropeptides as a result of a nutritionally impaired state may impact alcohol consumption in alcoholics. However, nutritional and dietary alternatives are often overlooked in the management of AUD. We have recently reported that six weeks of intermittent exposure to a nutritionally complete high‐fat diet (NCHFD) attenuates alcohol drinking in rats, which has important clinical implications in AUD treatment. At present, it is unclear if NCHFD pre‐exposure duration less than 6 weeks would be effective enough to impact alcohol drinking. In the present study, we assessed the impact of two weeks of intermittent NCHFD exposure on alcohol drinking in male, Long Evans rats. The rats (n=6/group) were grouped based on their body weight, food and water intake and were given intermittent access to NCHFD (24 hrs, twice a week) or normal chow (controls) for two weeks. All rats had ad libitum access to chow and water always and their daily food intake was recorded. Following two weeks of the intermittent NCHFD regimen, 20% ethanol drinking was evaluated using two‐bottle choice alcohol drinking model on the days following NCHFD exposure. A pattern of caloric overconsumption and under consumption was seen in the NCHFD exposed rats on NCHFD and non‐NCHFD days, respectively. Alcohol intake was significantly reduced in the NCHFD group of rats compared to the chow controls. Furthermore, not only preference and acquisition but also maintenance of alcohol intake was attenuated following intermittent NCHFD exposure. No between‐group differences in water or total fluid intakes were observed, suggesting that intermittent NCHFD exposure selectively impacted alcohol intake. As we begin to understand the impact of altering nutritional status on alcohol drinking behavior, the present data provide fundamental insights into the critical components for evaluating such interventions in the management of AUD.Support or Funding InformationThis publication was made possible by funding, in part, from the NIMHD‐RCMI grant number 5G12MD007595 from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the NIGMS‐BUILD grant number 8UL1GM118967 to SS. We thank the XULA vivarium support, especially Ms. Nannette Simoneaux.
Published Version
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