Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Policosanol effects on blood and metabolism in adult cats
By Templeman, James R et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2022·Department of Animal Biosciences, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of raw and encapsulated policosanol on lipid profiles, blood biochemistry, activity, energy expenditure and macronutrient metabolism of adult cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of eight healthy young adult cats was given either raw policosanol, encapsulated policosanol, L-carnitine, or no supplement to see how it affected their health. The study found that all cats had similar food intake and body weight, and there were no significant changes in their blood tests or activity levels. However, cats that received raw policosanol took longer to finish their meals. Overall, the results suggest that policosanol is safe for cats, but more research is needed to see if it can help with issues like high cholesterol or obesity.
People also search for: cat weight management · policosanol for cats · cat cholesterol treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to verify the safety of policosanol supplementation for domestic cats. The effects of raw and encapsulated policosanol were compared with positive (L-carnitine) and negative (no supplementation) controls on outcomes of complete blood count, serum biochemistry, energy expenditure, respiratory quotient and physical activity in healthy young adult cats. METHODS: The study was a replicated 4 × 4 complete Latin square design. Eight cats (four castrated males, four spayed females; mean age 3.0 ± 1.0 years; mean weight 4.36 ± 1.08 kg; mean body condition score 5.4 ± 1.4) were blocked by sex and body weight then randomized to treatment groups: raw policosanol (10 mg/kg body weight), encapsulated policosanol (50 mg/kg body weight), L-carnitine (200 mg/kg body weight) or no supplementation. Treatments were supplemented to a basal diet for 28 days with a 1-week washout between periods. Food was distributed equally between two offerings to ensure complete supplement consumption (first offering) and measure consumption time (second offering). Blood collection (lipid profile, complete blood count, serum biochemistry) and indirect calorimetry (energy expenditure, respiratory quotient) were conducted at days 0, 14 and 28 of each period. Activity monitors were worn 7 days prior to indirect calorimetry and blood collection. Data were analyzed using a repeated measures mixed model (SAS, v.9.4). RESULTS: Food intake and body weight were similar among treatments. There was no effect of treatment on lipid profile, serum biochemistry, activity, energy expenditure or respiratory quotient (>0.05); however, time to consume a second meal was greatest in cats fed raw policosanol (<0.05). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These data suggest that policosanol is safe for feline consumption. Further studies with cats demonstrating cardiometabolic risk factors are warranted to confirm whether policosanol therapy is an efficacious treatment for hyperlipidemia and obesity.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33988050/