are mean  SEM of 4 -- 6 mice per group. The DSS experiment was repeated using 2% WB fed mice and control fed mice. There was no blood in the colons of WB or control fed mice at 5 or 10 d post-DSS (data not shown). The colonic lengths of the control fed mice shortened as expected following 5 d of DSS (from 78 to 64 mm) and the WB fed colons were also shorter following 5 d of DSS (from 78 to 71 mm) however the colons from WB fed mice were significantly longer than control at d5 post-DSS (Fig. 6A ). At d 10 the WB and control colons recovered and were not different from one another (Fig. 6A ). The amount of TNF-? produced in the colon and blood of WB fed mice was significantly higher than the controls (Fig. 6B and 6C , respectively). Other cytokines including IL-1?, IL-10 and IFN-?, were not affected by WB feeding (data not shown). Histopathology of the colon showed no effect of WB feeding on symptoms of DSS colitis. WB feeding of WT mice was associated with protection from early weight loss (Fig. 5A ), protection from colonic shortening (Fig. 6A ) and an increase in TNF-? production in the serum and colon (Fig. 6B ). Figure 6. DSS colitis of 2% WB fed and control fed mice . Control, and WB fed mice were treated with DSS for 5 d (5 d post-DSS) followed by water for 5 d