Effects of Supplementation with a Docosahexaenoic Acid-Enriched Salmon Oil on Total Plasma and Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acid Composition in the Cat

Source: Charles R. Filburn, PhD and David Griffin, MS, DVM

Cats lack an adequate liver capacity to synthesize the longer-chain omega (n-6 and n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) that, upon release into the blood, are incorporated into membrane phospholipids in many tissues and serve essential structural and signaling functions. The necessity and importance of a dietary source of the n-3 LCPUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) prompted an evaluation of the effects of supplementation of a typical cat diet with DHA-enriched salmon oil on the n-3 LCPUFAs in plasma and the relative levels of n-6 and n-3 LCPUFAs. Supplementation resulted in rapid increases in both DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in total plasma fatty acids and in plasma phospholipids. These changes produced shifts in the overall n-6:n-3 ratio present in plasma fatty acids while markedly shifting the relative levels of arachidonic acid (AA) to DHA (AA:DHA) and arachidonic acid to EPA (AA:EPA) ratios to substantially lower values and a more favorable balance. The importance of providing DHA and EPA to the cat is reviewed and the potential benefits are discussed.

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