Abstract
Mannoheptulose (MH), a sugar found in avocados that inhibits glycolysis in vitro, has been preliminarily investigated as a novel food ingredient for dogs. This study aimed to determine the effects of dietary MH, delivered as an extract of un-ripened avocado, on energy expenditure (EE) in healthy adult Labrador Retriever dogs (total of 12 dogs, 26.99 ± 0.634 kg, 4.9 ± 0.2 y). The study was a double-blind, cross-over with each dog receiving both dietary treatments, control (CON) and MH (400 mg/kg of diet; 6 mg/kg BW), in random order. Resting and post-prandial (10 h) EE and respiratory quotient (RQ) were determined by indirect calorimetry (d 42). The following day, body composition was assessed using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Continuous activity monitoring was conducted using an Atical® accelerometer (d 43–47). A vastus lateralis muscle biopsy was obtained prior to the morning meal (d 49) and 4 h after consumption of their meal (d 56) to determine the protein content and phosphorylation of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Diet did not affect body weight, resting EE or skeletal muscle AMPK phosphorylation. Dogs fed MH had significantly lower post-prandial RQ (p = 0.02) and ratio of fat to lean body mass (p = 0.02). Physical activity during light time periods (but not dark) was lower in dogs fed MH (p < 0.05) during weekends, but not on weekdays. These results suggest that MH affects energy balance of adult dogs, but that these effects are not dose dependent and not due to physical activity.
Highlights
The average lifespan of dogs has been increasing; it has been estimated that more than 50% of dogs in the United States are over the age of six [1]
Body weight significantly increased throughout the study (p time < 0.01) irrespective of diet (p diet = 0.27) (Fig 1) and there was no interaction between diet and time (p = 0.35)
There was a significant affect of period for body weight, fat mass, and percent fat mass, which were all higher in the second period
Summary
The average lifespan of dogs has been increasing; it has been estimated that more than 50% of dogs in the United States are over the age of six [1]. As in humans, ageing in canines is thought to be accelerated by aspects such as genetics, disease, and/or harmful environmental and lifestyle factors. Throughout the life cycle, should seek to delay (or prevent) the physiological and metabolic changes associated with aging.
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