I'm not a mouse, and humans have been eating red meat (whenever they could get it) for literally aeons.
this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2025
223 points (84.5% liked)
science
21153 readers
746 users here now
A community to post scientific articles, news, and civil discussion.
rule #1: be kind
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Sure, but they had meat maybe once or twice per week. Nowadays we have meat five times per day.
They ate protein moderately and only enough to satiate their appetite. But if they were using storage methods ranging from hot springs to drying and fermentation they were eating red meat daily for months. Remaining meat was given to dogs (which eat unlimited amounts of protein). Fat was what humans ate in vast quantities. They'd go to extreme lengths to eat all sources of fat and marrow.
Although this study though doesn't make quite the same point that you're making.
The researchers artificially caused IBD in the mice by injecting them with a compound that damages their mucosal layer in the gut.
So what they're saying is that once you have IBD you might want to eat a low protein diet. This is consistent with diets that were used to treat diarrhea (which suggests ibd) such as the BRAT diet.
Nowadays we have meat five times per day.
Who the hell is eating meat 5 times a day? Jordan Peterson??
You should see what a pure veggie diet does to humans! Crop dusting left and right.
Just cut down on the legumes and the gas will pass.
Let me get this straight. Herbivores shouldn't eat meat‽ Holy crap! this changes everything!
Mice are omnivores like us. That said, just because something is bad for a mouse doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad for humans.
They intentionally chemically triggered IBD in the mice, how the fuck is this conclusive of anything?
load more comments
(2 replies)
Well… I guess we’re just not going to bother taking into account that red meat isn’t part of a mouse’s diet? And that maybe they’re going to react poorly when force fed things they generally don’t eat? This type of bullshit science needs to be called out for what it is.
Next, maybe we should see how well whales react if we feed them 3,000lbs of french fries.
load more comments
(10 replies)
Next time I meet up with my mouse friends I'll be sure to let them know.
mice were fed three types of red meat – pork, beef and mutton
I assume most mice don't regularly eat large livestock.
Are mice evolved to eat red meat? The article doesn't really say.
However, there were limitations to the study. As well as it being a mice model [...]
Yes, mice eat red meat.
Mice are omnivores and are opportunistic eaters. They’ll eat whatever they can find.
load more comments
(22 replies)
In the animal study, mice were fed three types of red meat – pork, beef and mutton – every day for two weeks. Then, the researchers triggered colitis (a model for IBD) using a chemical called dextran sulfate sodium (DSS).
They definitely aren't evolved to eat dextran sulfate sodium.
load more comments
(18 replies)
For me this is a case of picking the lesser poison. I have IBD and FODMAPs give me major issues. This means most fruit and vegetables, plus dairy and wheat, cause major issues. Meat, including red meat, is one of the few foods which don’t cause me intestinal pain, bloating, and diarrhea. Studies indicate a not insignificant proportion of the population have issues with FODMAPs, and they also tend to fare much better with meat.
I've read lots of compelling data about IBD and a plant-free diet, do you have any experience trying it?
I used to have mediocre IBS symptoms. Never to the point of being debilitating, but such that I was always aware where the closest toilet was and got anxious if it was too far away.
There was an article about studies being done on using common antihistamin to treat IBS that helped in many cases. Tried it and never looked back. That pretty much solved my bowel ussues.
So would you feel symptoms and take the antihistamines to avoid the squirtybum, or take them ahead of eating?
I take on pill every morning and don't really think about what I eat. :)
load more comments
(2 replies)
I didn't know we had so many PhD level gastroenterologists on Lemmy, I'm glad we've attracted such an educated community and we're not filled with reactionary nerds who vaguely remember their freshman zoology class.
"i'm not a mouse"
Checkmate nerds
When inconvenient truths arrive about people's preferred habits, they often become instant field experts.
As an aside, mice are opportunistic omnivores - this information can be found with ease. They will eat whatever the fuck they can find and will gladly feed on a cow's carcass. This added context makes the instant field expert comments claiming they're herbivores and that 'this study is obviously bad' even more embarrassing.
Look I'm all for the idea that we eat too much meat currently and all, but are mice really good analogs for humans in this instance? I'm not a scientist of any sort, so I really don't know, but it seems to me like a creature that doesn't naturally eat, like, any red meat would be a bad analog here.
load more comments
(4 replies)
Were mice?
Weremice?
Waremice
view more: next ›