CENTRE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND STUDIES

The present study investigated the effects of chronic low and high dose caffeine and aspartame on food intake and anxiety like behaviour in male Wistar rats. Anxiety-like behavior was assessed in the holeboard and elevated plus maze. Rats received caffeine (3.125 x 10-1 or 9.375 x 10-1 mgjml/day) and aspartame (2.5 or 7.5 mgjmljday) in their drinking water for 7 days. Rats were then tested in the holeboard and elevated plus maze. High caffeine with and without aspartame decreased food intake relative to vehicle controls. However, rats treated with high caffeine alone developed a tolerance to the anorectic effects of caffeine while low or high doses of aspartame blocked this tolerance to high caffeine. A low dose of caffeine given with a low dose of aspartame synergistically reduced feeding. This suppression was transient. There were no anxiogenic effects in the holeboard and plus maze tests for any group, although baseline anxiety levels were high for all groups. Future research should examine the feeding suppression effects by high doses of caffeine over an extended period in addition to carefully controlling rats' basal levels of anxiety.

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