Specific hunger for thiamine: Vitamin in water versus vitamin in food.

Abstract

Young, thiamine deficient rats showed a marked and significant preference for diets containing any one of 3 concentrations of thiamine over thiamine deficient diets. The preference appeared whether arbitrary cues were paired with thiamine or not. Less than 1/2 of the rats showed an immediate preference for the thiamine diet; more than 1/2 maintained their preference throughout the 2-week experimental period. In a parallel experiment with thiamine presented in one of 2 water sources, no preferences emerged. An aversion appeared at the highest concentration. It is concluded that thiamine intake is not quantitatively related to thiamine need and that an explanation of thiamine specific hunger in terms of learning by "need reduction" is inadequate.