Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fish oil and flaxseed oil reduce inflammation and immunity in cats
By Park, Hyun Joo et al.·Published in Veterinary immunology and immunopathology·2011·School of Food Science, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dietary fish oil and flaxseed oil suppress inflammation and immunity in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of mature female cats was fed either fish oil or flaxseed oil for 12 weeks to see how these diets affected inflammation and immune responses. The cats that ate fish oil showed a significant reduction in skin inflammation and had higher levels of certain beneficial fatty acids in their blood and skin. While both oils helped reduce skin reactions to allergens, fish oil was found to be more effective at suppressing immune responses compared to flaxseed oil. This suggests that adding fish oil to a cat's diet could help manage skin inflammation.
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Abstract
The modulatory activity of dietary n-3 fatty acids on inflammation and immune response in domestic cats is unknown. Mature female cats (n=14/treatment) were fed control, fish oil or flaxseed oil diets with n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratios of 20:1, 5:1 and 5:1, respectively, for 12 wk. Immune response was assessed on wk 0, 6 and 12, and skin hypersensitivity response on wk 6 and 12. Fish oil increased (P<0.01) eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in plasma and skin, whereas flaxseed oil increased α-linolenic acid. Fish and flaxseed oils decreased (P<0.01) skin inflammatory response to histamine. Cats fed fish but not flaxseed oil had higher (P<0.05) skin leukotriene LTB(5), but not LTB(4). Fish and flaxseed oils lowered B, total T and T(h) subset populations, and leukocyte proliferative response to PWM (P<0.05). In contrast, there was no change in ConA- or PHA-induced lymphocyte proliferation, Tc and MHC II cell populations, DTH response, NK cytotoxicity, IL-2 production, or plasma IgG concentrations. Therefore, fish and flaxseed oil can reduce skin inflammatory responses in cats, however, flaxseed oil appears less immunosuppressive than fish oil.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21440312/