(P08-008-25) Development of Mouse Chow to Reflect Human Diet for Nutrition Intervention Studies

Objectives: To develop mouse chow reflecting four distinct human diet patterns that are isocaloric and matched for macronutrients for use in nutrition intervention studies.

Methods: The dietary intake patterns for four diet patterns were generated by developing seven-day meal plans for breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks per day for humans. The meal plans followed the NHANES-based pattern for the Typical American Diet and the Vegetarian Diet, the MyPyramid for the Mediterranean Diet, and we modified the Vegetarian Diet plan and removed all animal sources, generating the Vegan Diet. All diet patterns were isocaloric based on an average of 2,000 kcal per day and were matched for macronutrient content (fat, carbohydrate, protein density of 35%, 50%, 15% respectively).  Nutrient Database for Research (NDS-R, Minnesota) version 2019 was used for food group, macro-, and micro-nutrient analysis. Mouse chow of humanized diets were prepared using powdered versions of human food sources.

Results: The food source and nutrient characteristics of the chow reflected that of realistic human diet patterns. Average food consumption showed high acceptance and was not significantly different between diets and four mouse strains (mean: 0.42 kcal/g body weight/d). American diet contained the highest amount of animal products (red meats, dairy), high amounts of saturated fatty acids, and refined carbohydrates. The Mediterranean diet consisted of more plant and less animal products, included fish, was higher in fiber and monounsaturated fatty acids, and lower in saturated fatty acids compared to the American diet. The vegetarian diet contained mostly plant products, and eggs and dairy as animal products, while the vegan diet consisted only of plant products. Vegetarian and vegan diets were high in fiber, unsaturated fatty acids, and low in cholesterol.

Conclusions: Using humanized diets to examine diet-health relationships in mice is a critical step to better understand the effects of dietary intake on human metabolism. Future studies will include more dietary patterns and mouse strains to establish robust estimates of dietary effect on health.

Funding Sources: This study was funded by the University of Virginia, Three Cavaliers Funding Mechanism and Engineering in Medicine.