EFFECT OF WEIGHT LOSS AND DIET ON FECAL MICROBIOTA AND FECAL METABOLOMICS IN CATS

摘要

Intestinal microbiota and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are important in a variety of metabolic disorders. We hypothesized that obesity and diet affect intestinal microbiota and SCFA in cats.Eight cats were used in a repeated-measures study. Cats were fed a maintenance diet (M-diet) from study days -21-0 then switched to a weight-loss diet (WL-diet) on day 0 without calorie restriction until day 7. On days 8-84, daily intake was restricted to achieve 1-2% weight-loss per week. On days 84-98, feeding the M-diet resumed while maintaining stable body condition score (BCS). Fecal samples were collected and stored at -80°C until analysis. Samples were collected on day -7 and 0 (Obese/M-diet), 5 and 7 (Obese/WL-diet), 77 and 84 (Lean/WL-diet) and 86, 89, 91 and 98 (Lean/M-diet) for microbiota and SCFA profiles. Body weight, BCS, muscle condition score, and body fat percentage were assessed throughout the study.