Cashing In on Childhood Malnutrition

The WHO has an informative factsheet on malnutrition.

I was gathering and summarizing data on the amount of tax money received by primate vivisectors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021 [About $35 million for the NIH-Funded projects and about $140 million over the life of the ongoing NIH-funded projects. And an additional $1.2 million that is slated to be awarded through September of 2025 by the National Science Foundation. I can send you a spread sheet if you are interested.] and got to wondering how NIH funding for projects using mice compared with the funding for projects using monkeys. I didn't get too far before I got sidetracked by project 1R21AI156151-01A1, "The role of DNA methylation in dysregulated monocyte immune responses during malnutrition and recovery."

The PIs (Primary Investigators) explain: "The first aim of the study will investigate how two weeks of protein malnutrition, induced by a low protein (5% protein calories) diet, in weaning mice affects the monocyte immune response elicited by bacterial endotoxin.... In the second aim, we will explore the efficacy of different treatment diets supplemented with wheat, milk or peanut proteins administered for six weeks after a two-week period of induced protein malnutrition."

Mice aren't humans. Here's an example of real science studying the treatment of malnutrition.

There is something particularly disturbing about intentionally starving baby animals. It's even worse when it is dressed up and defended with claims about wanting to help children.