The benefits of eating fish “hugely outweigh” any risks.

The Importance of Adding Fiber to the Lab Animal Diet

Fiber in your lab animal diet can be an important tool in managing the animals’ weight. Most of us know that fiber works to dilute the energy content of the lab animal diet, requiring an animal to eat more to get the same amount of calories. But you probably don’t know the full extent to which fiber can be truly fortifying.

The fact is, fiber used in any lab animal diet helps maintain intestinal health and regulate the digestive system. (We all have bacteria living in our intestines that feed on the fiber we consume. Believe it or not, these bacteria are what allow our digestive tracts to function properly — hence the need to keep them happily well fed!)

References:

Slavin J. Dietary Fiber and Body Weight. Nutrition. 2005. 21:411-418.

Anderson J, et al. Health Benefits of Dietary Fiber. Nutrition Reviews. 2009. 67:188-205. 

Fairbanks LA, et al. High-fiber diet promotes weight loss and affects maternal behavior in vervet monkeys.  American Journal of Primatology.  2010.  72:234-241.

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How is your feed formulated?

Diet formulation can be detrimental to your study, do you know how your feed is formulated?

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Can you name the sources of estrogenic activity (EA) in your vivarium?

Diet is only one source of EA.  There are many others that can affect the outcome of your research.

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MPV – Do you have the answer?

MPV - Have you implemented changes from a diet perspective to eliminate or control outbreaks?

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