cardiovascular disease in small animal s

Recent ethical studies on humans have shown that half of all heart disease deaths could be prevented by reducing or eliminating known risk factors such as trans fats from diets, which contribute to the development of serious coronary problems. In humans the onset of a heart attack is often the consequence of many years of underlying disease. The symptoms of a heart attack in the animals used in these experiments usually occur immediately as a result of cruel surgical intervention. Many animals also metabolise fat in different ways to humans, and greatly differ in their susceptibility to the development of clogged arterties (known as atherosclerosis). There is no one animal experiment that is able to encompass all of the variables known to cause the disease in humans. Heart disease is a complex disorder affected by many factors including diet, age, lifestyle and existing conditions such as diabetes. However, such experiments are extremely artificial when compared to the human situation. The animals are then put on a healthier diet or given drugs to see if the clogging of the arteries can be reduced. Rabbits, rats, dogs, pigs and even monkeys are forced to consume a ‘western diet’ high in fat and cholesterol. Sadly, current research on animals involves artificially clogging the arteries of animals. However, preventative lifestyle changes and medicines continue to receive considerably less attention than more ‘glamorous’ cures such as drugs, surgical intervention and transplantation.

Just a few simple steps such as eating more healthily, cutting down on alcohol and stopping smoking can improve your heart health and help to prevent the onset of heart disease. But while some still insist that animal experiments are vital to increase our understanding of the disease, the failure of these cruel tests is evident by the high rates of death and illness it sadly still causes.

Id you know today is World Heart Day? It's a day to raise awareness about prevention of cardiovascular diseases.īut while our thoughts turn to those affected by heart disease, will you remember the countless animals who continue to suffer and die in pointless experiments every year?Īnimals have been used by researchers in heart disease research for over a century.

Cardiovascular disease in small animal s