Toward Scientific Rigor: Setting Standards for Indirect Calorimetry Analysis and Reporting

Indirect calorimetry determines energy expenditure by measuring respiratory gas exchange. The approach is based on the principle that nutrient metabolism consumes O2 and produces CO2 and water in predictable ratios that can be compared with heat production. Due to the impracticality and high cost of direct calorimetry, indirect calorimetry is the major approach for modern metabolic studies in preclinical models. Despite the broad adoption of this method in rodent phenotyping, the field has lacked standardized methods for analyzing, representing, and sharing these data, limiting scientific progress. The recent review in Nature Metabolism by the International Indirect Calorimetry Consensus Committee (IICCC) addresses the lack of standardized methods by providing updated guidelines for data processing and representation and emphasizes the importance of shared data repositories tailored to these studies. These expert consensus standards aim to improve transparency, facilitate data sharing and archiving, and enhance cross-study comparability. We encourage authors submitting to Diabetes to adopt the IICCC guidelines to strengthen rigor and reproducibility in the field.