Grazing suppresses meal-induced dietary preference in rodents and humans

Hornsby, Amanda K.E., Smith, Harry A., Dovey, Janine L., Kabeer, Hafsa, Stokoe, Charlotte, Kundu, Anish, Liu, Zihan, Bentley, Ella, Betts, James A. and Wells, Tim ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3618-0595 2026. Grazing suppresses meal-induced dietary preference in rodents and humans. The Journal of Nutritional Physiology 7 , 100037. 10.1016/j.jnphys.2026.100037

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Abstract

Background The impact of shifting from meal consumption to grazing behaviour on dietary preference is poorly understood. Objective To demonstrate the impact of grazing or meal-feeding on dietary preference in humans and potential mechanisms in rodents. Methods Sweet/savoury desire was quantified using a visual analogue scale in human male participants receiving continuous or bolus (twice-daily) nasogastric infusion of enteral feed. High-carbohydrate diet (HCD):high-fat diet (HFD) preference was quantified in grazing or meal-fed male rats receiving a standard rodent chow (SRC) or HFD. The contribution of ghrelin to HCD:HFD preference was determined in grazing or meal-fed male wild-type (WT) and loxTB-GHSR (GHSR-null) mice and in male rats receiving SRC or HFD in meals with or without GHSR antagonist (JMV2959) treatment. The impact of grazing and meal-feeding on chronic dietary choice in rats was established. Results Pre-prandial savoury desire observed in bolus-infused male participants was absent in continuously-infused individuals. Robust HCD preference in SRC/meal-fed rats was suppressed in HFD/meal-fed rats and absent in grazing rats. Pronounced HFD preference in mice was independent of feeding pattern or GHSR expression. JMV2959 treatment had little impact on meal size, but augmented HCD preference in SRC- and HFD-fed rats. Meal-fed rats showed no clear dietary preference with long-term HCD/HFD exposure, with grazing rats displaying a robust, infradian rhythm of HFD preference. Conclusions Continuous enteric infusion suppresses the savoury desire observed in bolus-infused humans, while grazing abolishes the alignment of HCD:HFD preference in meal-fed rats. Thus, switching from regular meals to grazing may influence dietary selection.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Biosciences
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	3050-6247
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 July 2026
Date of Acceptance:	26 June 2026
Last Modified:	04 Aug 2026 13:23
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188243

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