Dietary Betaine and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Influence Circulating Fatty Acids and Tocopherols in Dogs

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Abstract Objectives Evaluate the interaction of dietary betaine and two different sources of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA): alpha-linolenate (ALA) and combined eicosapentaenoate (EPA) and docosahexaenoate (DHA) on subsequent circulating single carbon metabolism and metabolomics. Methods This study was a complete factorial with or without added betaine and 3 levels of PUFA. Sixty four dogs with an average age of 5.9 years (range 1–12) were used in this study. All dogs were assigned to a prefeed period (14 days), then assigned to one of the six treatment foods: control (0.05% betaine, no measurable EPA or DHA, and 0.25% 18 : 3 omega 3), control with 0.81% ALA (flaxseed used to increase ALA), control with 0.47% betaine and 0.85% ALA (flax added to increase ALA), control with 0.28% EPA&DHA combined (added fish oil as a source), control plus 0.55% betaine and 0.28% EPA&DHA (fish oil added as a source), and control with 0.58% betaine. All treatment foods were fed for sixty days. Blood analysis (CBC, chem screen, fatty acid profile, and metabolome) was completed at the beginning of the feeding trial and at the end of the study. Statistical analysis used PUFA source, betaine and interaction with p ≤ 0.05 used as significant. Results Dietary betaine increased circulating betaine, dimethyl glycine and methionine while adding ALA or EPA&DHA increased their respective circulating concentrations while decreasing circulating arachidonic acid. Adding betaine numerically increased circulating EPA and increased the concentration of total circulating n-3 fatty acids and total PUFA. There was a significant interaction of dietary betaine and PUFA on alpha-tocopherol, with dietary EPA&DHA causing a decrease and the combination of betaine and EPA&DHA resulting in an increased concentration, while in the absence of added PUFA dietary betaine alone had no effect. Similar results were observed with circulating beta and gamma tocopherol (combined). Conclusions Dietary betaine influences the circulating concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids and the methyl donor pathway. It also counteracts the negative effect of EPA&DHA on circulating tocopherols. Funding Sources This study was funded by Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc.