Altered Preference for Sodium Chloride, Anorexia, and Changes in Plasma and Urinary Zinc in Rats Fed a Zinc-deficient Diet

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Abstract
Changes in NaCl preference and in plasma and urinary zinc were studied in weanling rats fed, ad libitum, zinc-deficient or zinc-supplemented diets and in rats pair-fed an amount of food equal to that eaten by rats fed a zinc-deficient diet. NaCl preference in rats fed the zinc-deficient diet was significantly greater than in pair-fed (i.e., food-deprived) controls or in rats fed a zinc-supplemented diet ad libitum; this alteration in preference occurred within 3 days of initiation of the zinc-deficient diet although anorexia was observed in these rats within the first 2 days. These data indicate that both increased preference for NaCl and anorexia occur in zinc deficiency. Concentrations of plasma zinc and 24-hour urinary zinc excretion were significantly lower in rats fed the zinc-deficient diet than in pair-fed rats or in rats fed the zinc-supplemented diet ad libitum.