Abstract
Simple SummaryResearch has estimated that the majority of domestic cats are overweight or obese. Current weight-loss plans tend to have disappointing outcomes and are not without risk. During periods of severe energy restriction, obesity predisposes cats to developing fatty liver. Choline has been linked to fat metabolism in other animals but has not been studied in cats. Twelve obese cats were split into two groups and were fed a control diet (n = 6; 4587 mg choline/kg dry matter) or a high choline diet (n = 6; 18,957 mg choline/kg DM) for 5 weeks. Cats were fed to maintain body weight. Choline increased serum cholesterol, triacylglycerides, lipoproteins, and plasma methionine. It also decreased serum blood urea nitrogen and alkaline phosphatase as well as the ratio of plasma acylcarnitine to free carnitine. The results suggest that choline supplementation may increase fat transport out of the liver and help maintain liver health in obese cats. Choline supplementation may prove useful for safe weight loss in obese cats by minimizing the risks of fatty liver.Obesity is a health concern for domestic cats. Obesity and severe energy restriction predispose cats to feline hepatic lipidosis. As choline is linked to lipid metabolism, we hypothesized that dietary choline supplementation would assist in reducing hepatic fat through increased lipoprotein transport and fatty acid oxidation. Twelve obese cats (body condition score [BCS] ≥ 8/9) were split into two groups. Cats were fed a control (n = 6; 4587 mg choline/kg dry matter [DM]) or a high choline diet (n = 6; 18,957 mg choline/kg DM) for 5 weeks, for adult maintenance. On days 0 and 35, fasted blood was collected, and the body composition was assessed. Serum lipoprotein and biochemistry profiles, plasma amino acids and plasma acylcarnitines were analyzed. The body weight, BCS and body composition were unaffected (p > 0.05). Choline increased the serum cholesterol, triacylglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and plasma methionine (p < 0.05) and decreased the serum blood urea nitrogen and alkaline phosphatase (p < 0.05). Choline also reduced the plasma acylcarnitine to free carnitine ratio (p = 0.006). Choline may assist in eliminating hepatic fat through increased fat mobilization and enhanced methionine recycling.
Highlights
Introduction conditions of the Creative CommonsAkin to the obesity epidemic in humans, obesity is largely prevalent in domestic cats.Globally, it is estimated that 19–63% of cats are obese, depending on the country and the criteria used for classification [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]
Weight reduction is recommended for cats that are overweight or obese, weight-loss attempts can be disappointing and can be associated with health risks [16,17,18]
Cats on the control diet consumed an average of 283.82 ± 9.41 mg choline per day during the treatment period
Summary
It is estimated that 19–63% of cats are obese, depending on the country and the criteria used for classification [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. Numerous risk factors have been implicated with weight gain and obesity in cats These include environment-specific factors, such as indoor housing, lack of physical exercise and ad libitum feeding [3,7,8]. Animal-specific factors, including age, sex and gonadectomy, have been implicated as risk factors for the development of obesity [1,3,4,7,9,10,14,15]
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