227. A Diet Supplemented with Antioxidants and A Prebiotic Showed Renal Protective Benefits in Aging Cats.

Abstract

Aging is a major risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats, characterized by progressive changes in renal biomarkers, hematologic indices, and body composition. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate whether a dietary nutrient blend containing antioxidants, fatty acids, and chicory root, could mitigate age-associated changes in markers related to renal health in aging cats. A portion of this study has been previously published (Cupp et al., 2007; Cupp et al., 2008). Ninety healthy mixed-breed cats aged 7–17 yr were housed individually and fed one of three nutritionally complete diets for the remainder of life: a control diet (CON), control plus antioxidants (vitamin E and β carotene; AOX), or control plus antioxidants, chicory root, and linoleic fatty acid (AOX+). Cats were blocked by age, sex, and body condition score and randomly assigned to treatment. Blood chemistry, complete blood count, body weight, body condition score, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry outcomes were collected longitudinally. Data were analyzed using linear or quadratic longitudinal models to account for age and attrition, with significance declared at P ≤ 0.05 and trends at 0.05 < P ≤ 0.10. Serum phosphorus increased over time for all treatment groups, although cats fed diet 3 had lower phosphorus over time compared to controls (P ≤ 0.10). Serum creatinine increased over time in CON cats only, while AOX+ cats had ultimately decreased over time. Creatinine tended to increase at a slower rate over time in AOX+ cats compared to CON (P ≤ 0.10). AOX+ cats had a slower rate of increase over time for BUN (P < 0.05), and ultimately had lower BUN than CON (P < 0.05). Both red blood cell count and hemoglobin decreased over time in all treatment groups. However, AOX+ cats had a significantly decreased rate of decline compared to CON (P < 0.05), ultimately resulting in significantly higher red blood cell count and hemoglobin in AOX+ cats compared to CON (P < 0.05). CON cats had a significant decline in hematocrit over time (P < 0.05) while AOX+ had no change in hematocrit over time (P > 0.10), resulting in higher hematocrit values compared to CON (P < 0.05). Body weight loss over time occurred in all groups; however, AOX+ cats experienced a reduced rate of weight loss compared with controls (P ≤ 0.05). These biomarkers and outcomes are commonly associated with renal function and the onset or progression of CKD in cats. In conclusion, long-term feeding of a diet containing antioxidants, fatty acids, and chicory root mitigated multiple age-associated directional biomarker changes linked to declining renal health. These findings support the use of this nutrient blend to help maintain markers of healthy kidney function in aging cats.