The Humane Society of the United State (HSUS) has come out swinging in its opposition to an experiment conducted on 110 chimps at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The experiment was intended to show the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The Humane Society says the “use of chimpanzees for yet another study on salt was simply unwarranted.”
The amount of evidence that “salt affects blood pressure in humans is vast and has even been cited by the salt industry itself,” says Kathleen Conlee, director of program management for animal research issues at the HSUS. The chimpanzees were fed varying levels of sodium over two years and were knocked down with anesthetics at least twice a year for blood pressure measurements. A similar experiment published in 1995 already showed that increasing salt in a chimpanzee’s diet causes their blood pressure to rise.
“The American Heart Association’s website, which oversees the very journal that printed this study, along with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, all say that to lower blood pressure, people should consume less salt. There was absolutely no scientific need for these animals to undergo this experiment,” Conlee explains…
.“There should not be valuable funds wasted on research involving endangered species to tell us something we all already know,” says Conlee. “The 1,200 chimpanzees remaining in laboratories, some of who have been there for more than 50 years should be provided with permanent sanctuary and spared from this and other experimentation.”
Click here to read the full article.
Add New Comment
Thanks. Your comment is awaiting approval by a moderator.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Add New Comment
Trackbacks
(Trackback URL)