Polyphenol‐rich Dietary Fiber Sources Increased Antioxidant & Anti‐inflammatory Polyphenols in the Lower Gastrointestinal Tracts of Healthy Adult Cats While Maintaining Fecal Characteristics Similar to Control
Authors: Wernimont Susan M. , Fritsch Dale A. , Jackson Matthew I. , Brejda John J. , Gross Kathy L. 
Published: April 2020

Plant fibers may benefit feline gastrointestinal (GI) health. Healthy adult cats (n=46) were fed control food (CF) for 4 wks, randomized to either Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Gastrointestinal Biome Feline (GB) or Royal Canin Feline Gastrointestinal Fiber Response™ (FR) for 8 wks, CF for 4 wks & the opposite test food for 8 wks (CF: 4129 kcal/kg, 1.6 g total dietary fiber, TDF; 0.7 g soluble fiber, SF; & 0.9 g insoluble fiber, INSF, per 100 kcal; GB: 4010 kcal/kg, 3.2 g TDF, 0.3 g SF, 2.9 g INSF per 100 kcal; FR: 3890 kcal/kg, 2.8 g TDF, 0.8 g SF, 2.0 g INSF per 100 kcal). All foods were complete & balanced dry foods (2017 AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient profiles for adult cats). CF fiber sources included cracked pearled barley, corn, dried beet pulp, fructooligosaccharides (FOS) & psyllium seed husk; GB: corn, ground pecan shells, cracked pearled barley, whole grain oats, dried beet pulp, pea fiber, flaxseed, dried citrus pulp, pumpkin, cranberry pomace, FOS & psyllium seed husk; FR: corn, psyllium seed husk, chicory & FOS. Feces were collected every 4 wks & scored on a 6‐point scale (1=watery to 6=very hard), cleaned, weighed, photographed, & scored for blood, mucus, segmentation, casing, odor & unusual texture; feces were scored for color & size vs. photos from same cat on CF. Feces were homogenized & frozen within 1 hr of defecation. A commercial lab analyzed untargeted metabolomics. Fecal short chain fatty acids were analyzed by liquid‐liquid extraction & gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Statistical analysis was performed using a linear mixed‐model (PROC GLIMMIX). Stool characteristics were analyzed with Fisher’s exact test. All analyses used SAS® v. 9.4. This study was reviewed & approved by the IACUC, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. Cats had free access to water & were housed with daylight & enrichment. By 4 wks, GB increased fecal butyric acid (unadj. p=0.012; adj. p=0.083) vs. FR; this difference was not significant at 8 wks. Both foods yielded acceptable stool scores though cats fed FR had larger feces by weight vs. cats fed GB at 4 & 8 wks (adj. p <.0001). Feces from cats fed FR more often had mucus, casing, unusual texture, unusually light color, & unusually large size at wks 4 & 8 (all p<0.01); feces from cats fed GB were more similar in size, weight, color & characteristics to feces from the same cat fed CF. Feces from cats fed GB had increased fecal saccharolytic products ribulose/xylulose, maltose, arabinose & fecal anti‐inflammatory & antioxidant plant compounds & postbiotics naringenin, eriodictyol, limonin, ponciretin, poncirin, secoisolariciresinol & secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, hesperidin & hesperetin at wks 4 & 8 (all adj. p<0.0001) vs. feces from cats fed FR. Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Gastrointestinal Biome Feline with specialized polyphenol‐rich fiber sources delivered anti‐inflammatory & antioxidant plant‐derived polyphenols & postbiotics to the lower GI tract of healthy adult cats, & produced fecal characteristics more similar to control vs. a competitor product.

Support or Funding Information

This study was funded by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc.