A laboratory environment previously associated with a palatablediet can result in overfeeding in rats

Enriched and non-enriched laboratory environments produce various biological and behavioral effects on laboratory animals. One of the most impacted aspects in this regard is eating behavior. We examined associations between enriched vs. non-enriched environments and palatable vs. non-palatable diets on food intake in rats. Experiment 1 demonstrated that there are no significant differences in palatable food consumption irrespective of whether rats were exposed to enriched or non-enriched environments (P>0.05). In contrast, experiment 2 demonstrated that a combination of exposure to either of these environments and palatable food is enough to produce overfeeding in rats (P less than 0.05). These outcomes in rats may offer significant inferences in regards to the regulation of eating behavior in humans.