"Control" laboratory rodents are metabolically morbid: why it matters.
Failure to recognize that many standard control rats and mice used in biomedical research are sedentary, obese, glucose intolerant, and on a trajectory to premature death may confound data interpretation and outcomes of human studies. Fundamental aspects of cellular physiology, vulnerability to oxidative stress, inflammation, and associated diseases are among the many biological processes affected by dietary energy intake and exercise. Although overfed sedentary rodents may be reasonable models for the study of obesity in humans, treatments shown to be efficacious in these animal models may prove ineffective or exhibit novel side effects in active, normal-weight subjects.
Martin
Bronwen
B
Metabolism Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
Ji
Sunggoan
S
Maudsley
Stuart
S
Mattson
Mark P
MP
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D051379:Mice; D023421:Models, Animal; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000378:metabolism*; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal; D051381:Rats