The Effects of High Cheese Diets on Brain Serotonin and Alcohol Consumption

<p>Male weanling rats were placed on a nutritionally adequate casein diet and randomly assigned to one of eight groups. The first four groups were force fed alcohol for 22 days prior to the experimental phase of the study, while the last four groups had access to water only. Upon commencing the experimental phase each group was given one of the following diets: continuation of the casein diet; Cheddar; Limburger; or Roquefort cheese diets, along with the choice of alcohol and/or water. The particular cheeses were chosen for their ability to raise brain serotonin levels (62) . Alcohol consumption was measured daily among all groups.</p> <p>A general linear hypothesis was used to compare serotonin levels with diet, drinking status, animal, and alcohol consumption per day. Of the variables considered in the analysis, the most important variable in terms of accounting for variability in serotonin levels was diet, i.e. whether the animal was given access to a casein or cheese diet, however, it failed to reach significance (p=.08). Findings from this study suggest that serotonin levels are the result of an interaction between type of diet and total alcohol consumption, i.e., whether the animal drank alcohol throughout the entire course of the experiment, or merely had access to it during the experimental phase.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nutrition

Year

1980

Author dc:creator

• Utt, Beverly A.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kenneth I. Burke
• Ella Haddad
• James W. Blankenship
• Winston Craig
• Grenith J. Zimmerman

• Nutrition
• Cheese; Serotonin; Alcohol Drinking.

Statement dc:rights

• This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/851

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarsrepository.llu.edu:etd-1914