Influence of Estrogens on Body Growth and Food Intake.

The effects of estradiol and its benzoate ester on body weight and food consumption of immature male rats have been studied in experiments using controls which were either eating ad lib. or pair-fed to the treated animals. In animals eating ad lib., estrogen treatment for 3 weeks or more resulted in a depression of body weight accompanied by a voluntary restriction in food intake: body weight was more greatly depressed than food intake. Restriction of food intake in the controls to amounts eaten ad lib. by the treated animals duplicated the effects of the estrogen on depression of body weight, since the growth curves of pair-fed control and treated groups became parallel.