Here’s one example of an animal research project that could stop tomorrow with no impact whatsoever to human health.
For awhile now doctors and dietitians have urged consumers to increase their intake of omega-3 fatty acids to help reduce their risk of coronary heart disease.
A recent Ohio State University study begins by stating, "In recent years, research has shown that an increase in omega-3 fatty acids in the diet has specific health benefits, especially in patients with depression, cardiovascular disease and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases." OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS AFFECT RISK OF DEPRESSION, INFLAMMATION - http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/omega-3.htm
This past week the OSU IACUC approved protocol, 2007A0081, continuing the work of Dr. Billman to investigate omega-3 and cardiovascular disease. As Dr. Billman has done for the past 25 years he will implant a device to give the dogs a heart attack while they run on a treadmill. Originally approved to use 40 dogs from 2004-2007, the new protocol will use 120 dogs from 2007-2010. And it's all been done before. So this new protocol is just adding some bells and whistles to the previous experiments. Here is the abstract from a 1999, published paper by Dr. Billman!
Background—Rat diets high in fish oil have been shown to be protective
against ischemia-induced fatal
ventricular arrhythmias. Increasing evidence suggests that this may also apply
to humans. To confirm the
evidence in animals, we tested a concentrate of the free fish-oil fatty acids
and found them to be
antiarrhythmic.
Methods and Results—The tests were performed in a dog model of cardiac
sudden death. Dogs were
prepared with a large anterior wall myocardial infarction produced surgically
and an inflatable cuff placed
around the left circumflex coronary artery. With the dogs running on a treadmill
1 month after the
surgery, occlusion of the left circumflex artery regularly produced ventricular
fibrillation in the control
tests done 1 week before and after the test, with the -3 fatty acids administered
intravenously as their pure
free fatty acid. With infusion of the eicosapentaenoic acid, 5 of 7 dogs
were protected from fatal
ventricular arrhythmias (P<0.02). With docosahexaenoic acid, 6 of 8 dogs
were protected, and with -
linolenic acid, 6 of 8 dogs were also protected (P<0.004 for each).
The before and after control studies
performed on the same animal all resulted in fatal ventricular arrhythmias,
from which they were
defibrillated.
Conclusions—These results indicate that purified -3 fatty acids
can prevent ischemia-induced ventricular
fibrillation in this dog model of sudden cardiac death. Prevention of
Sudden Cardiac Death by Dietary
Pure -3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Dogs http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/99/18/2452
How many dogs have to be killed? It's time the dogs in his research are allowed
to run free and Dr.
Billman and his experiments be put out to pasture.
What You Can Do - Contact OSU IACUC and urge them to reconsider approval of this protocol.
Write: IACUCinfo@osu.edu
Back to running for their lives
April 24, 2007