Daily Meal Patterns, Voluntary Food Intake And Fattening Of Reindeer During Winter And Responses To Insulin

Abstract

I determined the effect of insulin injections on daily feeding behavior and voluntary food intake (VFI) in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus t. ) fed a concentrate ration during winter. Food intake in the absence of insulin injections was down regulated and characterized by small, regular meals during daylight and irregular and sometimes large nighttime meals. Each large nighttime meal was associated with a long post-meal interval. Daytime meal size could be predicted from an estimate of the energy deficit incurred since the previous meal; however, the occasional oversized nighttime meals were not predicted from energy deficit and suggested that appetite may be deregulated at night. I hypothesized that a low daily dose of long acting insulin (1.0 IU/kg BW, s.c.) would result in regular feeding day and night, which should result in reduced VFI. Changes in serum insulin concentration could not be detected following insulin treatment, however exogenous insulin resulted in a loss of daytime and nighttime differences in meal size and intermeal interval length and a decrease in mean daily meal size. Over a 21 d treatment period, exogenous insulin prevented an increase in VFI during a warming trend and tended to counter a linear decline in body mass and backfat depth (measured by ultra-sound) typified by control animals (given Lactate Ringer 0.005 ml/kg BW, s.c.). The influence of insulin over fat retention suggests that reindeer are capable of lipogenesis in winter. A combination of rhythmic variation in satiety response to meals during daylight and decoupling of meal size and frequency at night is suggested as an endocrine model underlying daily appetite regulation in the reindeer.