[Effect of cold adaptation on the feeding behavior of genetically obese Zucker rats].

A diurnal hyperphagia is certainly the main factor of adiposity in the genetically obese Zucker fa/fa rat. In a previous experiment it was observed that cold-acclimatization suppressed hyperphagia and stopped the increase in obesity. In this work, the chronology of modification in the feeding pattern is studied during the first month of cold exposure (10 degrees C). The main cold-induced modifications are observed after 2 weeks of cold exposure. Possibly the decrease in metabolic efficiency of food could parallel the cold-induced enhancement of energetic capacity of brown adipose tissue which has been described elsewhere. This tissue could play a role in the obesity of the Zucker rat.