Can Rats Drink Beer?
WouterSeveral research studies have examined whether rats can drink beer. In one experiment, rats were offered constant home cage access to beer or near-beer for 35 days. Half of the rats were then deprived of beer or near-beer for 24 hours, and they were then tested on a battery of anxiety tests. Although rats have a higher tolerance for alcohol than humans, this does not necessarily mean that they can drink beer.
Rats usually consume free-choice diets, consuming about 10 to 30 grams of feed a day and drinking twenty to fifty milliliters of water a day. However, when water is not readily available, they may consume alcohol if it is available. When alcohol is ingested, rats may become tipsy and end up drowning.
In a study of rats, scientists from Purdue University and Indiana University bred a population of rats that were alcoholics and nonalcoholics. When they compared their genomes, they found 930 differences associated with alcoholism. Interestingly, some of the genes that were specific to the alcoholic rats were related to important brain functions.
The authors also studied whether alcohol affects blood pressure in rats. They found that rats exposed to alcohol during the developmental stage of the organism show less blood pressure. These findings are interesting and suggest that alcohol may have a protective effect against hypertension. The authors also pointed out that alcohol affects BP levels differently in healthy and hypertensive rats.
