The role of depot fat in the hypothalamic control of food intake in the rat

The young rat adjusts its food intake so precisely to its energy needs that its fat stores remain almost constant. Considerable variation in food intake is brought about in response to change in heat loss to the environment, or in loss of food through the mammary gland in lactation, without appreciable change of weight. Hypothalamic damage permits excessive intake and causes obesity. The degree of obesity and in general its rate of development,...