*Naima Mustaid-Moussa, Ph.D., DFASN, FTOS, FAHA, FNAI
President, American Society for Nutrition
Animal models for human disease are important for promoting prevention, treatment, and general health. They help scientists understand how diseases develop and test possible treatments in ways that cannot be done in humans. At the same time, there is growing concern in the research community that these studies do not always produce consistent or reproducible results, even when they focus on the same disease.
A major contributor to these concerns is the lack of standardization in the diet and environment of the animals, which leads to poor reproduction. When diets and environments are not standardized, it becomes difficult to compare findings across studies or replicate results. This lack of consistency slows scientific progress, increases costs, and delays the impact and translation of animal research into real health benefits.
The role of diet in research quality
To increase the rigor and reproducibility of animal research, it is necessary to know the exact composition of the diet, to implement a precise study design and to use appropriate animal models. For diet composition, controlling for dietary variables is particularly important.
In light of these serious issues, the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) supports the development and use of next-generation standardized research diets. These are designed to serve as strict reference diets in animal feeding studies.
ASN supports the advancement of the quality and integrity of nutritional research using animal models, supporting basic scientists, and strengthening the translational value of preclinical research. A on time white paper The author of the Working Group on Laboratory Animal Nutrition for Education and Research Network (LANTERN) highlights ongoing concerns related to the lack of standardization in diets used in animal research. The LANTERN team proposes the creation of a resource center or consortium to provide guidance, recognition and development of open and standardized reference diets for widely used animal models.
ASN leadership and next steps
ASN is ready to take this initiative forward and build on the recommendations of the LANTERN paper, while also considering two related articles published in food magazine, From Chow to Conclusions: Why Laboratory Animal Diet Standardization Is Important for Rigor, Reproducibility, and Translational Relevance in Nutrition Research and Standardization of rodent and other animal diets: a call for action, both of which emphasize the need to improve consistency and reproducibility in this field. This is a high-priority initiative to promote rigor, reproducibility and reproducibility in animal research across diseases.
Consistent with ASN’s research priorities and my presidential goal to promote and support rigorous basic research, ASN recommends the creation of a task force that brings together key experimental animal scientists, feed manufacturers, federal partners, and other stakeholders to provide clear guidance on standard diets. This effort will also engage the international research community to support harmonization and wider adoption of globally compatible standards.
Join the conversation at NUTRITION 2026
As a first step toward establishing such a task force, ASN invites LANTERN authors, diet manufacturers, and other interested investigators. Nutrition 2026 to discuss further measures, including membership and goals. This effort is intended to support the working group in the development of strict guidelines for experimental animal research, ultimately aimed at establishing a national program that significantly improves research, as proposed by the LANTERN group, and at the same time positioning these efforts for awareness and wider support of international efforts.
It is important that early career investigators and students are part of this conversation.
Why it matters to science and health
Improving dietary standardization in animal studies has real implications for how quickly and effectively research can improve human health. A concerted effort in this area can lead to more efficient and humane research practices, robustness and reproducibility, and stronger translation of findings to humans. It can also reduce the costs and time associated with conducting animal research and implementing these findings in a clinical setting, ultimately promoting health and reducing the burden of disease.
Hope to see you in Nutrition 2026 to help us determine what is to come.
About the author:
In addition to serving as president of the American Society for Nutrition, Dr. Mustaid-Moussa is the executive director of the Institute for Health Innovation and the Paul W. Horne is a distinguished professor at the Texas State University School of Veterinary Medicine. He is also a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center, the founding director of the Obesity Research Institute, and a member of the National Academies Council on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR).
GHOST 2026: Where the best in science and health meet
In NUTRITION Table 2026 Available now – sessions on AI-powered dietary tools, obesity treatment and GLP-1, regulation of nutritional supplements and the future of dietary guidance.
Pre-registration and accommodation deadline: June 12, 2026 | 23:59 CT
