the China Study by Dr Campbell : the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted

Jorats wrote:

There's only one true study done on rats for optimum health and that's the China Study by Dr. Campbell. It's been determined that rats require very little protein and low fat as well.

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Dr Campbell did a huge study called the China Study and of course, he used rats.
He found the optimum protein and fat amounts for rats.
As it turns out meat and dairy and eggs are not good...well for anyone. The high cholesterol and saturated fats is harmful to us, unless you are an obligate carnivore.
Rats are opportunistic scavengers. A wild rat's average life span is 9 months! We certainly don't want that for our domesticated pets.
I would not give anything with high protein or fat and that includes all meat, dairy and eggs.

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In the China Study, it is proven that rats require 10% protein from excellent sources.

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The China Study is the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted.
I suggest that you read it.
Although it is about human nutrition, the first part of the book details research done on rats and mice concerning nutrition and cancer.

In addition to what Jorats has written above:

The China Study found that rats require 10% protein for growth. When rats are given more then 10% protein in their diets, cancer cells will grow dramatically as protein % is increased (pp. 54-59).

The China study also found that

nutrients from animal-based foods increased tumour development while nutrients from plant based foods decreased tumour development

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This pattern was consistent in both mice and rats. (pp. 59-67)

Research findings are that:
1. Rats need a low protein diet (10% protein)
2. Rats need to eat a low fat diet
3. Rats need to eat a plant based diet and get their protein from plants, not from animals or animal products (such as dairy, eggs, or anything that comes from an animal)

This book on human nutrition is an excellent read because their experiments were first done on rats. They have found through their experiments the optimum foods for rats which is plant based, low protein and low fat.

When talking about a plant-based diet, does this mean rat blocks should be kept at a minimum? Is it alright if the blocks are alfafa-based, because every site I've looked at for rat food says do not feed a food item that has alfafa as the first, second, or third ingredient. I'm just wondering and I want to feed the best I can for my animals.
Does this mean mixing in seeds with their staple diet is alright? As SQ said in another active thread (I believe the Vilmie Premium food thread), GMO products are found in a lot of foods, human or otherwise, especially in animal foods.
A friend of mine has her own food mixture (I don't exact amounts) of cereal, seeds, and will give them veggies about once a day. Would this be an alright diet to give my rats?

I don't have too much experience with how long my rats have lived. My first ever rats have all passed away at 2yr/old, 2.5yr/old, and one was about three months away from hitting his third birthday. The first one to pass away was from a freak accident.

Until we can formulate a true whole foods diet, I would do the blocks as their main diet but I would supplement with vegetables and you can give whole grains like oats, millet, farro, etc...
About the alfalfa, rats can't digest as in break it down but they can still eat it. Just like how our bodies can't break down cellulose, yet we still eat corn and peas.