Abstract
There are many variables to consider when designing an animal experiment. The animal model (strain/sub-strain), the housing and environmental conditions, and the diet are some of the common variables among different research groups. While the animal model and most environmental factors are typically well controlled, unfortunately the same cannot always be said for the diet. Diet information is typically not disclosed or when disclosed it is often underreported in experimental studies (1; 2). For the scientific community, this makes interpreting the study difficult, if not impossible, given that the diet profoundly affects phenotype.
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