Medium-chain triglyceride, fish oil and L-carnitine enriched foods against age-associated serum fatty acid and carnitine changes in healthy Beagles
Forty-one healthy Beagles (mean age 9.9 years, range 3.1 to 14.8) housed at a Hill's colony were randomized to a control food or one of two foods enriched with L-carnitine and fish oil, the second also containing medium-chain triglycerides, for 6 months. The stated purpose was to test whether these foods offset age-associated changes in serum fatty acids and carnitine metabolites. Carnitine metabolites were lower in geriatric than mature dogs and L-carnitine supplementation attenuated this, while serum EPA and DHA rose dose-dependently; the authors conclude the diet counterbalanced the effects of aging on these circulating compounds.
Record
| Design | randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Status | completed |
| Setting | laboratory colony |
| Intervention | Foods enriched with medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), fish oil and L-carnitine (two treatment foods) |
| Intervention class | diet or supplement |
| Comparator | Control food |
| Dose regimen | Treatment diets contained added L-carnitine (300 mg/kg) and 0.6% (treatment food 1) or 1.5% (treatment food 2) added fish oil; treatment food 2 also had increased MCT from coconut oil, added corn oil and reduced animal fat |
| Duration | 6 months |
| Dogs | 41 |
| Population note | 41 dogs randomized to 3 study groups; 3 removed during the study for unrelated reasons; age categories: mature adults (7 years and under) and geriatric adults (older than 7 years) |
| Breed | Beagle |
| Age | mean age 9.9 years (range 3.1 to 14.8) |
| Other | healthy; equal numbers of females (n = 21; ovariohysterectomized) and males (n = 20; neutered) |
| Primary outcome | Serum fatty acid composition (gas chromatography) and serum carnitine metabolites (metabolomic profiling); body composition by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry |
| Result (as reported) | Serum concentrations of carnitine metabolites were decreased in geriatric (>7 years) vs. mature adult (<= 7 years) dogs, and supplementation with L-carnitine attenuated the effects of aging; serum eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic FA increased in a dose-dependent manner; no change in total-lean-body weight, serum total protein or albumin by time or dietary treatment. The authors summarise that dietary MCT, fish oil, and L-carnitine counterbalanced the effects of aging on circulating concentrations of these compounds. |
| Lead organisation | Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., Topeka, KS, USA |
| Tags | supplement, diet, fish-oil, carnitine, mct, metabolomics, colony |
Notes: No funding statement appears in the full text; the protocol was approved by Hill's IACUC and the foods were prepared by Hill's Pet Nutrition.
Sources and verbatim quotes
Feeding healthy beagles medium-chain triglycerides, fish oil, and carnitine offsets age-related changes in serum fatty acids and carnitine metabolites. (2012) PMID 23145181 (results)
The purpose of this study was to determine if feeding dogs medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), fish oil, and L-carnitine enriched foods offsets age-associated changes in serum fatty acids (FA) and carnitine metabolites.
Forty-one healthy Beagles, mean age 9.9 years (range 3.1 to 14.8), were fed control or one of two treatment foods for 6 months.
The treatment diets both contained added L-carnitine (300 mg/kg) and 0.6% (treatment food 1) or 1.5% (treatment food 2) added fish oil. Treatment food 2 also had increased MCT from coconut oil, added corn oil, and reduced animal fat.
Composition of serum FA was determined by gas chromatography of FA methyl esters.
Body composition was determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry.
Among dog groups, there was no change in total-lean-body weight, or in serum total protein and serum albumin concentrations, based on time or dietary treatment.
Serum concentrations of carnitine metabolites were decreased in geriatric (>7 years) vs. mature adult (≤ 7 years) dogs, and supplementation with L-carnitine attenuated the effects of aging.
Serum concentrations of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic FA increased in a dose-dependent manner.
In summary, dietary MCT, fish oil, and L-carnitine counterbalanced the effects of aging on circulating concentrations of these compounds.
Feeding healthy beagles medium-chain triglycerides, fish oil, and carnitine offsets age-related changes in serum fatty acids and carnitine metabolites. (2012) PMID 23145181 (design)
The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc., Topeka, KS, USA (Permit Number: 09-487).
Dogs were housed in pairs in indoor runs or in spacious rooms with natural light that varied with seasonal changes.
Equal numbers of females (n = 21; ovariohysterectomized) and males (n = 20; neutered) were randomized to 3 study groups.
Three animals were removed during the study for unrelated reasons: bladder carcinoma, surgery for intervertebral disc disease, and foot abscess with fever.
To evaluate the influence of age, age categories were defined as 7 years and under (mature adults), or older than 7 years (geriatric adults).
Three test foods were prepared by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc.
Reproduce: canine_trial_search(trial_id="mct-fish-oil-carnitine-beagles-serum-aging-2012") in dog-geroscience-mcp; dataset canine-trial-registry.