Tag: Research ethics

Studies have shown that oral gavage can significantly increase physiological stress in research animals, with measurements of elevated corticosterone, heart rate, and blood pressure. These profound responses represent one of the primary disadvantages of oral gavage that can compromise the validity of scientific experiments.

In 1944, physiologist Ancel Keys and his team launched a year-long study that subjected 36 healthy male volunteers to semi-starvation to better understand the effects of malnutrition. The famous starvation experiment was designed to inform post-war famine relief efforts in Europe and remains one of the most cited studies in nutrition and psychology.