Are lab rats too fat?
A study says rodents used in research are often flabby and out of shape, which might distort the results of health studies
Scientists studying human health may be getting bad information from an unlikely source — their own lab rats. Many rats and mice used for research are fat, out of shape, and "on a trajectory to premature death," according to a report from Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute on Aging. That's a problem, because animals used for research are supposed to be reasonable stand-ins for the average human — when they're chubby and unhealthy, results of experiments designed to shine light on everything from Alzheimer's to cancer can be distorted. Are overfed lab rats useless, or is there still something humans can learn from them?
It's shocking scientists didn't realize using fat rats was stupid: Lab rats eat all day and have little incentive to exercise, says RT.com. "Naturally, these furry versions of coach potatoes balloon." They end up with a skewed metabolism — obviously, a promising drug that works on them "may fail to work, or perform worse on healthy animals."
"Obese lab animals may fudge biology research, experts warn"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Time for the rats to start exercising: This scandal "casts suspicion on an entire body of research," says Stuart Fox in Popular Science. It's especially outrageous because the solution is so simple: "Get these rodents a personal trainer," or at least an exercise wheel. "I don't want to potentially miss out on a cure for cancer because Mickey and Minny didn't want to run some laps."
"Lab rats' pampered lifestyles found to skew research results"
The rats aren't the only ones that are fat. The Johns Hopkins researchers didn't exactly say chubby rats and mice are useless, says Mary Carmichael in Newsweek. In fact, with the U.S. in the grips of an obesity epidemic, "overweight and sedentary" rats might be precisely the animals scientists should be studying. Sure, lab rats could stand to exercise more and eat less, but so could we.
"Rats! Science has a weight problem"
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'A speaker courageous enough to stand up to the extremists in his own party'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 18, 2024
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - impeachment Peanuts, record-breaking temperatures, and more
By The Week US Published