Dietary supplement of L‐methionine increases plasma total homocysteine concentration in cats – a strict carnivore

Abstract

Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in humans. The objective of this study is to investigate whether dietary supplement of methionine affects plasma homocysteine concentration in cats, a strict carnivore. Twenty-four American short-hair adult cats (> 1 year old) were fed a dry cat food with complete and balanced nutrition and containing 0.98% of methionin (control food) for 2 weeks before they were divided into two groups, 12 cats in each group. One group (2 male and 10 female) was given the control food and the other group (4 male and 8 female) was given the control food supplemented with L-methionine (test food) for additional 4 weeks. The test food contained 1.35% methionine. Blood samples were taken on days 14 and 42. Average intake of methionine was 0.40 g/day and 0.56 g/day in cats fed the control and test food, respectively. Plasma total homocysteine concentration increased significantly (p < 0.05) in cats fed the test food (14.0 μM/L) when comparing with that in cats fed the control food (10.4 μM/L). Food intake and body weight were similar between the groups during the study. In conclusion, dietary supplement of 1.35% L-methionine significantly increases plasma total homocysteine in adult cats.