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Biology Mice Case Study Essay

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A group of 11 mice was given water, and another group of 10 mice was supplied with diluted black coffee (coffee:water 1:1) as drinking fluids for five weeks. The composition of the diets and living conditions were similar for both groups of mice. Blood glucose was monitored weekly for all mice. After five weeks, there was no change in average body weight between groups. Results indicated that blood glucose concentrations increased significantly in the mice that drank water compared with those that were supplied with coffee. Finally, blood glucose concentration in the coffee group exhibited a 30 percent decrease compared with that in the water group.
(In the original paper*, the investigators acknowledged that the coffee for the experiment …show more content…

They asked the question, would an animal lab test provide further evidence of the positive effects of coffee in diabetes patients? They hypothesized testing a group of mice which were fed only water compared to mice fed a coffee/water mixture would identify benefits of coffee consumption. Their prediction, based on past studies, was that yes coffee would decrease the risk of diabetes. They then formulated an experiment between the two groups of mice to test support for their claim.
5. Do you think that there may be any possible biases or other problems in this experiment? Explain.
Yes there could definitely be possible biases based upon the coffee coming from suppliers as a gift for the experiment. It’s unlikely the coffee would chemically alter the results but there definitely could be a perception issue with the suppliers providing the source of material for the controlled group.
6. Based on the data, was the hypothesis supported, and what can you conclude from this experiment?

Yes based upon the data the hypothesis was supported. The lab results largely indicated differences between the controlled and treatment group. One could reasonably conclude coffee does affect the groups differently but it may be more difficult to draw a line to coffee being the sole reason. The sample size of the groups seems extremely small. Additionally, there is little evidence to support other factors, such as heredity or predisposition to high/low

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