Interaction of food and water deprivation on drinking: Effect of body water losses and characteristics of solution offered

Rats subjected to 24–96 hr of water and food deprivation drank less in a 60-min drinking test than rats subjected to an equal duration of water deprivation only. Determination of body water contents made by drying the carcass revealed that differences in drinking observed were not explained by differences in body water deficits produced by the two types of deprivation. It was suggested instead that the depression of drinking caused by adding food deprivation to water deprivation might be explained by the fact that elevated serum osmolality results from water deprivation, but not from combined water and food deprivation. The depression in drinking caused by food deprivation persisted even when glucose, saccharin and NaCl were given in place of water.