After just three months, the researchers observed a significant difference in the amount of weight the rats had gained, with the 16 on the junk food diet having become noticeably fatter.
“One diet led to obesity, the other did not,” Blaisdell noted.
The experiments also suggest that fatigue may result from a junk food diet.
As part of the study, the rats were given a task in which they were required to press a lever to receive a food or water reward.
