In recent years, the scientific community has become increasingly interested in the gut microbiota. For good reason, the microorganisms that live in our digestive tract are endowed with numerous nutritional, metabolic and immune defense capabilities. To better understand how they work, American researchers took an interest in the intestinal flora of domestic cats.
A research team from Ohio State University in the US has suggested that domestic cats could contribute to a better understanding of the potential role of the gut microbiota in the development of cardiometabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.
“Pets share our beds. They eat our ice cream. There are all these things that people do with their pets that show that pets can be a model for natural disease, with environmental exposures similar to those of humans.”Jenessa Winston, assistant professor of veterinary science at Ohio State University and lead author of the study, said in a statement.
To test their hypothesis, Jenessa Winston and her colleagues put seven obese cats on a diet for sixteen weeks. During the first two weeks of the experiment, the cats were allowed to eat food specially designed for them and which was available commercially.
They then had to follow a weight-loss diet for a week before switching to a low-calorie diet that would cause them to lose 1 to 2% of their body mass per week. This penultimate phase lasted eleven weeks. After this, the cats returned to their basic diet.
Throughout the experiment, the researchers collected fecal samples to see if the different diets the cats followed affected the production of short-chain fatty acids. These molecules, produced by intestinal bacteria during the fermentation of dietary fiber, are important for metabolism.
They provide energy for the cells in the colon, strengthen the intestinal barrier and regulate appetite. Scientific work claims that they are also involved in the prevention of diseases such as obesity, diabetes and inflammatory bowel diseases.
To study cats to better help humans
Jenessa Winston and her colleagues found that cats produced more propionic acid when they lost weight on a low-calorie diet. This type of short-chain fatty acids has previously been shown to regulate appetite, reduce fat accumulation, and protect against obesity and diabetes in certain mammals.
The researchers explain in their study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, that the increase in propionic acid is associated with the proliferation of Prevotella 9 copri, a bacterium with a crucial role for intestinal health. “When cats eat the diet specifically designed for weight loss, propionic acid rises and stays high, then falls back down when they return to their regular diet.”explains Jenessa Winston in the same press release. “This shows that when we restrict the caloric intake of obese cats, we can change their microbial ecosystem”.
In other words, it appears that the set of non-pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi that make up the gut microbiota of domestic cats plays a crucial role in the development of obesity. Studying the intestinal flora of felines can therefore allow us to gain a better understanding of the causes and biological mechanisms leading to this complex chronic disease, which affects almost 16% of the world’s population.
