Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered groundbreaking similarities between the gut microbiomes of overweight cats and humans, potentially paving the way for innovative obesity treatments.
A recent study conducted by veterinary researchers at Ohio State University suggests that pet cats may serve as excellent animal models for studying the origins and treatments of obesity in humans.
The study delved into the intricate world of feline gut microbes by analyzing fecal samples from overweight cats as they underwent four distinct dietary changes, including strict calorie reduction. The results revealed striking similarities between the changes in the cats’ gut microbiomes and those observed in humans on altered diets.
“Animals share our beds. They share our ice cream. There are all these things that people do with their pets that highlight they are a naturally occurring disease model with similar environmental exposures as humans,” Jenessa Winston, the study’s lead author and assistant professor of veterinary clinical sciences at Ohio State University, said in a news release.
Highlighting the potential of cats as models to understand human obesity, Winston added, “Being able to see changes in cats that come up in the context of obesity and type 2 diabetes in people makes them a really good model to start looking at more microbiome-directed therapeutics for obesity in humans if we’re seeing a similar shift.”
Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the study takes on extra significance given the pervasive problem of obesity. In developed countries, an estimated 60% of cats suffer from obesity or are overweight. Meanwhile, in the United States, more than 40% of adults grapple with obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At Ohio State, Winston is spearheading two large clinical trials to explore the potential of fecal transplants from lean dogs and cats as a means to assist overweight pets in shedding pounds.
“My lab is focused on how we can harness the therapeutic power of microbes,” she said, emphasizing the need to understand how disease states differ from health.
The study tracked the diets of seven obese cats over a 16-week period, transitioning through phases of free-feeding commercial cat food, a specially formulated weight-loss diet, calorie-restricted feeding and a return to their initial maintenance diet. Key findings centered on shifts in short-chain fatty acids, particularly propionic acid, which has been shown to regulate appetite, reduce fat accumulation and protect against obesity and diabetes in other mammals.
“When the cats are on the special diet formulated for weight loss, propionic acid goes up and stays high, and then goes back down when they’re put back on the maintenance diet. So it really is a dietary change,” Winston added. “This paper highlights that when we calorie-restrict cats that are obese, we can alter their microbial ecosystem – and those community shifts that we see likely correlate with some metabolic outcomes.”
The study’s findings hint that understanding the feline gut profile could yield crucial insights into human obesity as well. While the gut microbiome’s precise role in mammal obesity remains a puzzle, decades of evidence point to these microorganisms and their molecular outputs as central players in the complex disease.
Funded by Nestle Purina, which also supplied the weight-loss diet, the research team included experts from Ohio State, North Carolina State University, Texas A&M University and the University of Florida.
As obesity rates continue to rise globally, this study offers a fresh perspective on how our furry companions could become key allies in unraveling human metabolic health mysteries, opening doors to new microbiome-directed therapies.