LAUSR

OBJECTIVE the addition of sweeteners to alcoholic beverages is thought to facilitate heavy alcohol consumption, and this may be of particular concern when the additive is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). METHODS four experiments in male Sprague-Dawley rats were performed to investigate whether the addition of 25% HFCS to ethanol (5%, 10% & 20% v/v EtOH) would alter its intraoral operant self-administration, palatability, and sensitivity to food deprivation stress. RESULTS as anticipated, HFCS drastically increased EtOH intake, and this effect appeared driven by its caloric value. Importantly, HFCS increased the persistence of operant responding following extinction in animals trained to self-administer the combination, and the addition of HFCS to EtOH changed subsequent responses to EtOH including increased palatability and intake. CONCLUSIONS these results in rats suggest that the addition of HFCS to the list of ingredients in sweetened alcoholic beverages could play a significant role in the harmful consumption of EtOH.