Federalismo fiscal, dignidade da pessoa humana e o financiamento da saúde pública no Litoral Sul da Bahia / Fiscal federalism, dignity of the human person and public health financing at the Southern Coast of Bahia

Resumo Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar a realidade do financiamento da saúde pública, com especial atenção à situação dos municípios do território de identidade Litoral Sul da Bahia, à luz da disciplina constitucional sobre o direito à saúde. Para tanto, será exposta a organização político-administrativa do Estado brasileiro, a ser entendida como meio pelo qual se deve garantir a efetividade dos direitos fundamentais, sempre pautada pelo princípio da dignidade humana. Toda a análise da realidade do financiamento público da saúde será realizada com base em dados empíricos de arrecadação e despesa, sobretudo, referentes aos municípios que integram o território de identidade Litoral Sul da Bahia.

Abstract This study analyzes the reality of public health financing, focusing on the municipalities of southern Bahia, based on the right to health. To do so, it presents the political and administrative organization of the Brazilian State, understood as a tool for ensuring the effectiveness of fundamental rights, always in line with the principle of human dignity. All the analysis were conducted using empirical data on fund raising and expenditure, mainly referring to the municipalities from the Southern Coast of Bahia.

Both food restriction and high-fat diet during gestation induce low birth weight and altered physical activity in adult rat offspring: the "Similarities in the Inequalities" model.

We have previously described a theoretical model in humans, called "Similarities in the Inequalities", in which extremely unequal social backgrounds coexist in a complex scenario promoting similar health outcomes in adulthood. Based on the potential applicability of and to further explore the "similarities in the inequalities" phenomenon, this study used a rat model to investigate the effect of different nutritional backgrounds during gestation on the willingness of offspring to engage in physical activity in adulthood. Sprague-Dawley rats were time mated and randomly allocated to one of three dietary groups: Control (Adlib), receiving standard laboratory chow ad libitum; 50% food restricted (FR), receiving 50% of the ad libitum-fed dam's habitual intake; or high-fat diet (HF), receiving a diet containing 23% fat. The diets were provided from day 10 of pregnancy until weaning. Within 24 hours of birth, pups were cross-fostered to other dams, forming the following groups: Adlib_Adlib, FR_Adlib, and HF_Adlib. Maternal chow consumption and weight gain, and offspring birth weight, growth, physical activity (one week of free exercise in running wheels), abdominal adiposity and biochemical data were evaluated. Western blot was performed to assess D2 receptors in the dorsal striatum. The "similarities in the inequalities" effect was observed on birth weight (both FR and HF groups were smaller than the Adlib group at birth) and physical activity (both FR_Adlib and HF_Adlib groups were different from the Adlib_Adlib group, with less active males and more active females). Our findings contribute to the view that health inequalities in fetal life may program the health outcomes manifested in offspring adult life (such as altered physical activity and metabolic parameters), probably through different biological mechanisms.

Neurobehavioral determinants of nutritional security in fetal growth-restricted individuals.

Fetal growth restriction results from a failure to achieve a higher growth potential and has been associated with many maternal conditions, such as chronic diseases (infections, hypertension, and some cases of diabetes and obesity), exposures (tobacco smoke, drugs), and malnutrition. This early adversity induces a series of adaptive physiological responses aimed at improving survival, but imposing increased risk for developing chronic nontransmittable diseases (obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease) in the long term. Recently, mounting evidence has shown that fetal growth impairment is related to altered feeding behavior and preferences through the life course. When living in countries undergoing nutritional transition, in which individuals experience the coexistence of underweight and overweight problems (the "double burden of malnutrition"), fetal growth-restricted children can be simultaneously growth restricted and overweight-a double burden of malnutrition at the individual level. Considering food preferences as an important aspect of nutrition security, we will summarize the putative neurobiological mechanisms at the core of the relationship between fetal growth and nutrition security over the life course and the evidence linking early life adversity to later food preferences.

Transgenerational effects of maternal care interact with fetal growth and influence attention skills at 18 months of age.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that there is an association between being born small for gestational age (SGA) and an increased risk of internalizing and externalizing problems, such as ADHD. Additionally, individuals who report having received a lower quality of maternal care show an increased prevalence of depression and anxiety, and they are generally worse caregivers of their offspring. Therefore, an interaction between the birth weight status and the quality of maternal care perceived by the mother could affect behavioral outcomes of the children. AIMS: Evaluate the influence of being born SGA and parental bonding, as perceived by the mother during her infancy, on the children's behavior at 18 months of age. STUDY DESIGN: Nested cross-sectional study within a Canadian prenatal cohort (MAVAN, Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment) recruited from 2003 to 2010. SUBJECTS: Data from 305 children who were evaluated at 18 months of age. OUTCOME MEASURES: Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire--ECBQ and Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment--ITSEA) were included. RESULTS: Children born SGA whose mothers reported low maternal care during her infancy (using the Parental Bonding Instrument--PBI) showed lower scores in the attentional set shifting trait (ECBQ, p=0.002) and attention construct (ITSEA, p=0.05) at 18 months of age. We also found that SGA increases decreases cuddliness (p=0.011) and poor perceived maternal care decreases low intensity pleasure (p=0.016) on the ECBQ. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a complex transgenerational transmission whereby mother's own care interacts with the fetal growth of her offspring to predict its attentional skills at 18 months of age.

Early life stress is associated with anxiety, increased stress responsivity and preference for "comfort foods" in adult female rats.

Chronic stress increases anxiety and encourages intake of palatable foods as "comfort foods". This effect seems to be mediated by altered function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In the current study, litters of Wistar rats were subjected to limited access to nesting material (Early-Life Stress group - ELS) or standard care (Control group) from postnatal day 2 to 9. In adult life, anxiety was assessed using the novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSFT), and acute stress responsivity by measurement of plasma corticosterone and ACTH levels. Preference for palatable foods was monitored by a computerized system (BioDAQ, Research Diets(®)) in rats receiving only regular chow or given the choice of regular and palatable diet for 30 days. ELS-augmented adulthood anxiety in the NSFT (increased latency to eat in a new environment; decreased chow intake upon return to the home cage) and increased corticosterone (but not ACTH) secretion in response to stress. Despite being lighter and consuming less rat chow, ELS animals ate more palatable foods during chronic exposure compared with controls. During preference testing, controls receiving long-term access to palatable diet exhibited reduced preference for the diet relative to controls exposed to regular chow only, whereas ELS rats demonstrated no such reduction in preference after prolonged palatable diet exposure. The increased preference for palatable foods showed by ELS animals may result from a habit of using this type of food to ameliorate anxiety.

Early life stress interacts with the diet deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids during the life course increasing the metabolic vulnerability in adult rats.

Early stress can cause metabolic disorders in adulthood. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) deficiency has also been linked to the development of metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to assess whether an early stressful event such as maternal separation interacts with the nutritional availability of n-3 PUFAs during the life course on metabolic aspects. Litters were randomized into: maternal separated (MS) and non-handled (NH). The MS group was removed from their dam for 3 hours per day and put in an incubator at 32 °C on days 1° to 10° postnatal (PND). On PND 35, males were subdivided into diets that were adequate or deficient in n-3 PUFAs, and this intervention was applied during the subsequent 15 weeks. Animal's body weight and food consumption were measured weekly, and at the end of the treatment tissues were collected. MS was associated with increased food intake (p = 0.047) and weight gain (p = 0.012), but no differences were found in the NPY hypothalamic content between the groups. MS rats had also increased deposition of abdominal fat (p<0.001) and plasma triglycerides (p = 0.018) when compared to the NH group. Interactions between early life stress and n-3 PUFAs deficiency were found in plasma insulin (p = 0.033), HOMA index (p = 0.049), leptin (p = 0.010) and liver PEPCK expression (p = 0.050), in which the metabolic vulnerability in the MS group was aggravated by the n-3 PUFAs deficient diet exposure. This was associated with specific alterations in the peripheral fatty acid profile. Variations in the neonatal environment interact with nutritional aspects during the life course, such as n-3 PUFAs diet content, and persistently alter the metabolic vulnerability in adulthood.

Intrauterine growth restriction and the fetal programming of the hedonic response to sweet taste in newborn infants.

Intrauterine growth restriction is associated with increased risk for adult metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, which seems to be related to altered food preferences in these individuals later in life. In this study, we sought to understand whether intrauterine growth leads to fetal programming of the hedonic responses to sweet. Sixteen 1-day-old preterm infants received 24% sucrose solution or water and the taste reactivity was filmed and analyzed. Spearman correlation demonstrated a positive correlation between fetal growth and the hedonic response to the sweet solution in the first 15 seconds after the offer (r = 0.864, P = 0.001), without correlation when the solution given is water (r = 0.314, P = 0.455). In fact, the more intense the intrauterine growth restriction, the lower the frequency of the hedonic response observed. IUGR is strongly correlated with the hedonic response to a sweet solution in the first day of life in preterm infants. This is the first evidence in humans to demonstrate that the hedonic response to sweet taste is programmed very early during the fetal life by the degree of intrauterine growth. The altered hedonic response at birth and subsequent differential food preference may contribute to the increased risk of obesity and related disorders in adulthood in intrauterine growth-restricted individuals.

Preliminary evidence for an impulsivity-based thrifty eating phenotype.

INTRODUCTION: Low birth weight is associated with obesity and an increased risk for metabolic/cardiovascular diseases in later life. RESULTS: The results of the snack delay test, which encompassed four distinct trials, indicated that the gender × intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) × trial interaction was a predictor of the ability to delay the food reward (P = 0.002). Among children with normal birth weights, girls showed a greater ability to delay food rewards than did boys (P = 0.014).In contrast, among children with IUGR, there was no such differential ability between girls and boys. Furthermore, in girls, impulsive responding predicted both increased consumption of palatable fat (P = 0.007) and higher BMIs (P = 0.020) at 48 mo of age, although there was no such association with BMI at 36 mo. DISCUSSION: In girls, the quality of fetal growth may contribute to impulsive eating, which may promote an increased intake of fats and consequently higher BMIs. As with the original thrifty phenotype, such a mechanism would be adaptive when food supplies are sparse, but would be problematic in societies with ample access to calorically rich foods. METHODS: We examined whether the quality of intrauterine growth programs obesogenic eating behaviors, by investigating (i) the relationship between birth weight and impulsive eating in 3-year-old children (using the snack delay test), and (ii) whether impulsive eating predicts fat intake and/or BMI at 4 years of age (using a laboratory-based test meal).

Produção de óxido nítrico no hipocampo: investigação do envolvimento do óxido nítrico sintase neuronal no desenvolvimento de comportamentos ansiosos em animais submetidos a estresse neonatal / Hippocampal nitric oxide production: investigation of the role of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the development of anxiety-like behaviors in animals subjected to neonatal stress

Introdução: Estudos indicam que o trauma precoce e o sistema serotoninérgico estão relacionados ao desenvolvimento de ansiedade. Esta relação poderia ser mediada pela enzima óxido nítrico sintase neuronal (nNOS), que tem papel importante no funcionamento dos receptores de serotonina. Objetivo: Investigar, através da mensuração do óxido nítrico (NO) no hipocampo, o possível envolvimento da nNOS no desenvolvimento de ansiedade em um modelo animal de adversidade no início da vida, baseado na qualidade do cuidado materno. Métodos: Ao segundo dia de vida, genitoras Wistar e suas ninhadas foram divididas em dois grupos: intervenção, com redução do material para a confecção do ninho, ou controle. O comportamento materno foi observado do dia 1 ao dia 9 de vida. Na vida adulta, realizaram-se testes comportamentais e determinaram-se os níveis hipocampais de NO, através da mensuração de seus produtos de degradação. Resultados: Observou-se um maior comportamento do tipo ansioso no grupo intervenção, cujas genitoras apresentaram maior contato de baixa qualidade com seus filhotes. Nos machos, o cuidado materno de baixa qualidade correlacionou-se negativamente com o tempo no braço aberto e a frequência de mergulhos (r=-0,4;p=0,03) avaliados no labirinto em cruz elevado. O comportamento materno de lamber os filhotes correlacionou-se com a frequência de mergulhos em ambos os sexos (r=0,5;p<0,001). A quantidade de NO no hipocampo não diferiu entre os grupos. Conclusão: Uma maior atividade da nNOS não parece estar envolvida no comportamento ansioso observado neste modelo animal, no entanto a relação mãe-filhote, alterada por um ambiente neonatal adverso, teve impacto sobre o comportamento ansioso de forma sexo específica.

Background: Studies have shown that an adverse early life environment and the serotonergic system are related to the development of anxiety. This association could be mediated by neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), an enzyme that plays an important role in serotonin receptor functioning. Aim: To investigate the possible role of nNOS in the development of anxiety by measuring hippocampal nitric oxide (NO) in an animal model of neonatal stress, based on the quality of maternal care. Methods: On the second day of life, Wistar dams and their litters where divided in two groups: intervention, with limited access to nesting material, or control. Maternal behavior was observed from day 1 to 9 of life. In adult life, behavioral tests were performed and hippocampal NO levels were determined by measuring its degradation products. Results: There was more frequent anxiety-like behavior in the intervention group, whose dams showed low quality contact with their pups more often. In males, low quality maternal care was negatively correlated with time spent in open arms and frequency of head dips (r=-0.4; p=0.03) assessed using an elevated plus maze. Licking and grooming score was correlated with frequency of head dips in both sexes (r=0.5;p<0.001). Hippocampal NO levels were not different between groups (p=0.992). Conclusion: A higher nNOS activity does not seem to be involved in anxiety-like behavior observed in this animal model, however the relationship between dam and pup, modified by an adverse early life environment, had a different impact on anxiety behavior between sexes.

O impacto da transição demográfico-epidemiológica na saúde da criança e do adolescente do Brasil / The impact demographic and epidemiological transition in the health of children and adolescents in Brazil

Esse artigo tem como objetivo discutir os novos desafios no campo da saúde da criança e do adolescente como conseqüência do intenso processo de transição demográfica e epidemiológica brasileiro. Os aspectos relacionados à assistência, à pesquisa e ao ensino dos profissionais de saúde e, a presença de um novo perfil de saúde e doença, com seus novos mecanismos de causalidade são objetos de reflexão buscando alternativas para o enfrentamento e a superação das dificuldades advindas dessa situação. Portanto, esse artigo tenta desenvolver uma análise crítica desse novo cenário na perspectiva de oferecer as respostas pertinentes para as novas demandas em saúde das futuras gerações de brasileiros.

The objective of the present study was to discuss the new challenges of children and adolescent health care related the intensive process of demographic and epidemiological transition in Brazil. Aspects related to health care, research, and education of health professionals, as well as the presence of a new profile of health and disease, including its new mechanisms of causality, are analyzed with the purpose of offering alternatives to face and overcome the difficulties arising from this situation. Therefore, we tried to conduct a critical analysis of this new scenario in order to provide relevant solutions to the new health demands of the next Brazilian generations.

Association between Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase activity and the vulnerability/resilience to mood disorders induced by early life experience.

There is increasing evidence that early life events can influence neurodevelopment and later susceptibility to disease. Chronic variable stress (CVS) has been used as a model of depression. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interaction between early experience and vulnerability to chronic variable stress in adulthood, analyzing emotional, metabolic and neurochemical aspects related to depression. Pups were (1) handled (10 min/day) or (2) left undisturbed from day 1 to 10 after birth. When the animals reached adulthood, the groups were subdivided and the rats were submitted or not to CVS, which consisted of daily exposure to different stressors for 40 days, followed by a period of behavioral tasks, biochemical (plasma corticosterone and insulin sensitivity) and neurochemical (Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase activity in hippocampus, amygdala and parietal cortex) measurements. Neonatally-handled rats demonstrated shorter immobility times in the forced swimming test, independently of the stress condition. There was no difference concerning basal corticosterone or insulin sensitivity between the groups. Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase activity was decreased in hippocampus and increased in the amygdala of neonatally-handled rats. CVS decreased the enzyme activity in the three structures, mainly in the non-handled group. These findings suggest that early handling increases the ability to cope with chronic variable stress in adulthood, with animals showing less susceptibility to neurochemical features associated with depression, confirming the relevance of the precocious environment to vulnerability to psychiatric conditions in adulthood.

Severe intrauterine growth restriction is associated with higher spontaneous carbohydrate intake in young women.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with metabolic disorders in adulthood. In rats, an early adverse environment alters food preferences in adult life. We investigated whether IUGR is associated with spontaneous macronutrient preferences in humans. Two thousand sixty-three participants from a Brazilian birth cohort were evaluated at 24 y of age using a food frequency questionnaire, physical examination, anthropometric measurements, and biochemical assays (glucose, insulin, cholesterol, and triglycerides). IUGR was defined by the birth weight ratio (BWR = birth weight/mean weight for gestational age). Individuals were classified as non growth restricted (BWR > or =0.85), moderately growth restricted (0.85 > BWR > or = 0.75), and severely growth restricted (BWR <0.75). Severe IUGR women consumed a greater carbohydrate to protein ratio, even after controlling for social variables. There was a continuous association between growth restriction and later carbohydrate to protein ratio consumption in women. Women from both IUGR groups had a larger waist to hip ratio (WHR). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was comparable between the groups. IUGR women preferred carbohydrates to protein in their regular diet, suggesting that spontaneous food choices may precede the appearance and contribute to the risk for metabolic diseases in this group.

Developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD).

OBJECTIVE: To present a new branch of scientific knowledge, known as the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), covering its concepts, study methods and ethical considerations in addition to the prospects for this area of knowledge. SOURCES: A non-systematic review of the biomedical literature intended to identify historical and current references related to the subject under discussion. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS: Recent studies demonstrate associations between aggressions suffered during the initial phases of somatic development and amplified risk of chronic diseases throughout life, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. A variety of models have been proposed in attempts to better explain these associations, such as the thrifty phenotype, programming and predictive adaptive response theories and the concept of match or mismatch. Some of the mechanisms possibly involved in these processes are: effects of the environment on gene expression, through epigenetic mechanisms; effects of hormonal signals transmitted to the fetus via the placenta or the newborn via lactation. CONCLUSIONS: DOHaD draws together information originating from many different areas of knowledge, proposing new investigative methodologies to elucidate the influence of adverse events that occur during early phases of human development on the pattern of health and disease throughout life. This new scientific field proposes new models of causality and of the mechanisms involved in the emergence and development of chronic diseases. The results of these investigations may result in a significant impact on the prevention of chronic diseases, and also on health promotion in different phases of life.

Origens desenvolvimentistas da saúde e da doença (DOHaD): [revisão] / Developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD): [review]

OBJETIVO: Apresentar um novo ramo da ciência, denominado origens desenvolvimentistas da saúde e doença (DOHaD), abordando conceitos, métodos de estudo, aspectos éticos e perspectivas para essa área do conhecimento. FONTES DOS DADOS: Revisão não sistemática da literatura biomédica, com o intuito de obter referências históricas e atualizadas relacionadas com o tema em discussão. SÍNTESE DOS DADOS: Estudos recentes demonstram associações entre agravos ocorridos em fases iniciais do desenvolvimento somático e a amplificação do risco para doenças crônicas ao longo da vida, tais como obesidade, diabetes e doenças cardiovasculares. Diferentes modelos foram propostos na tentativa de melhor explicar essas associações, como a teoria do fenótipo poupador, a programação, as respostas adaptativas preditivas e o conceito de concordância ou contraste. Alguns dos possíveis mecanismos envolvidos nesses processos são: efeitos do ambiente sobre a expressão gênica, através de mecanismos epigenéticos; efeitos de sinais hormonais transmitidos ao feto através da placenta ou ao recém-nascido através da lactação. CONCLUSÕES: O DOHaD agrega informações advindas de várias áreas do conhecimento, propondo novas metodologias de investigação no sentido de esclarecer a influência de eventos adversos ocorridos em fases precoces do desenvolvimento humano sobre o padrão de saúde e doença ao longo da vida. Esse novo campo da ciência propõe novos modelos de causalidade e mecanismos envolvidos no surgimento e desenvolvimento de doenças crônicas. Os resultados dessas investigações poderão resultar em impacto significativo na prevenção de doenças crônicas, bem como na promoção de saúde em diferentes fases da vida.

OBJECTIVE: To present a new branch of scientific knowledge, known as the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), covering its concepts, study methods and ethical considerations in addition to the prospects for this area of knowledge. SOURCES: A non-systematic review of the biomedical literature intended to identify historical and current references related to the subject under discussion. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS: Recent studies demonstrate associations between aggressions suffered during the initial phases of somatic development and amplified risk of chronic diseases throughout life, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. A variety of models have been proposed in attempts to better explain these associations, such as the thrifty phenotype, programming and predictive adaptive response theories and the concept of match or mismatch. Some of the mechanisms possibly involved in these processes are: effects of the environment on gene expression, through epigenetic mechanisms; effects of hormonal signals transmitted to the fetus via the placenta or the newborn via lactation. CONCLUSIONS: DOHaD draws together information originating from many different areas of knowledge, proposing new investigative methodologies to elucidate the influence of adverse events that occur during early phases of human development on the pattern of health and disease throughout life. This new scientific field proposes new models of causality and of the mechanisms involved in the emergence and development of chronic diseases. The results of these investigations may result in a significant impact on the prevention of chronic diseases, and also on health promotion in different phases of life.

Could preference for palatable foods in neonatally handled rats alter metabolic patterns in adult life?

Previous studies indicate that, in adulthood, neonatally handled rats consume more sweet food than nonhandled rats. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of the chronic exposure to a palatable diet (chocolate) in adult neonatally handled rats. We measured the consumption of foods (standard lab chow and chocolate), body weight gain, abdominal fat deposition, and levels of plasma lipids, glucose, insulin, and corticosterone in adult neonatally handled (10 min/d, first 10 d of life) and nonhandled rats. We found an increased intake of chocolate in handled rats, but this consumption decreased over time. Handled male animals exhibited higher body weight, higher caloric efficiency, and lower triglyceride levels. Nonhandled females that were exposed long-term to the highly caloric diet had increased abdominal fat deposition compared with handled females. Overall female rats had increased abdominal fat deposition, higher total cholesterol and glucose levels, and lower insulin in comparison with males. Interestingly, chocolate consumption diminished the weight of the adrenal glands in both handled and nonhandled animals. These findings suggest that neonatal handling induces a particular metabolic pattern that is sex specific.

Long lasting sex-specific effects upon behavior and S100b levels after maternal separation and exposure to a model of post-traumatic stress disorder in rats.

This study was undertaken to verify if repeated long-term separation from dams would affect the development of parameters related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after animals are subjected to inescapable shock when adults. Wistar rats were subjected to repeated maternal separation during post-natal days 1-10. When adults, rats from both sexes were submitted to a PTSD model consisting of exposure to inescapable footshock, followed by situational reminders. We observed long-lasting effects of both interventions. Exposure to shock increased fear conditioning. Anxiety-like behavior was increased and exploratory activity decreased by both treatments, and these effects were more robust in males. Additionally, basal corticosterone in plasma was decreased, paralleling effects observed in PTSD patients. Levels of S100B protein in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured. Levels in serum correlated with the effects observed in anxiety-like behavior, increasing in males exposed to shock, and presenting no effect in females. S100B in CSF was increased in females submitted to maternal separation during the neonatal period. These results suggest that, in rats, an early stress experience such as maternal separation may aggravate some effects of exposure to a stressor during adult age, and that this effect is sex-specific. Additionally, data suggest that the increased S100B levels, observed in serum, have an extracerebral origin, possibly mediated by an increase in the noradrenergic tonus. Increased S100B in brain could be related to its neurotrophic actions.

Satiety assessment in neonatally handled rats.

We have previously demonstrated that neonatal handling increases sweet food ingestion. In the present study, we examined whether food intake, using different kinds of food, is altered in neonatally handled animals, with or without inducing satiety using a sucrose solution. Abdominal fat, glycemia and hormones linked to appetite including leptin, ghrelin and insulin were also measured. We tested palatable food consumption in the homecage to verify whether environmental cues could influence ingestion. Nests of Wistar rats were either (1) non-handled or (2) handled (10 min/day). Handling was performed on days 1-10 after birth. When adults, rats were habituated to sweet food (Froot Loops, Kellogg's) and to palatable fiber pellets (Fiber One), Nestlé). Sweet food consumption was increased in the neonatally handled group, when tested in the homecage, and also in the satiety experiment. These rats displayed a satiety curve when compared to the control group, which ate less but constantly. Handled rats exposed to a sucrose solution decreased sweet food ingestion, which did not occur in the control group. When exposed to a food with complex carbohydrates, these differences disappeared. There were no differences in body weight, abdominal fat or in glycemia, as well as no differences in plasma levels of insulin or leptin. However, ghrelin was decreased in neonatally handled rats. Neonatally handled rats demonstrated an increased consumption of sweet food, satiety responses to sucrose, as well as decreased levels of plasma ghrelin. It is possible that signaling mechanisms related to satiety, both peripherally and/or centrally may contribute to these behavioral findings.