Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Effects of adding Saccharomyces cerevisiae to adult cat food
By de Oliveira Matheus, Laura Fantucci et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2021·School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall addition on feed digestibility, fecal fermentation and microbiota and immunological parameters in adult cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 27 healthy cats, averaging about 9 years old, were fed a special dry food with added yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to see if it would improve their digestion and gut health. The results showed that the yeast improved the breakdown of fiber and minerals in their food without changing how much they ate or how much they pooped. Additionally, the yeast helped reduce harmful bacteria in their feces. Overall, the yeast seemed to have a positive effect on their digestion and gut microbiome, but more research is needed to find the best amount to use.
People also search for: cat digestion problems · cat gut health supplements · yeast for cat digestion
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of increasing dosages of a commercial product composed by Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (YAM), with active metabolites, which are beta glucans, nucleotides, organic acids, polyphenols, amino acids, vitamins and minerals (Original XPC, Diamond V, IOWA, USA) added to a commercially available dry cat food. Apparent digestibility of dietary nutrients, fecal microbiota, fecal fermentation products and immunological parameters were evaluated. Twenty-seven healthy cats of mixed sexes, with a mean body weight of 4.19 ± 0.83 kg and a mean age of 9.44 ± 5.35 years were distributed by age in an unbalanced randomized block design, consisting of three experimental treatments: CD (control diet), YAM 0.3 (control diet with 0.3% yeast with active metabolites) and YAM 0.6 (control diet with 0.6% yeast with active metabolites). RESULTS: The inclusion of the additive elevated the apparent digestibility of crude fiber (p = 0.013) and ash (p < 0.001) without interfering feed consumption, fecal production and fecal characteristics. Regarding fermentation products present in the feces, prebiotic inclusion increased lactic acid concentration (p = 0.004) while reducing isovaleric acid (p = 0.014), only in the treatment YAM 0.3. No differences were noticed on biogenic amines (BA), fecal pH, ammonia concentration, total and individuals short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and total and individuals branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) (except isovaleric acid in YAM 0.3). As regards to fecal microbiota, prebiotic inclusion has resulted in the reduction of Clostridium perfringens (p = 0.023). No differences were found in the immunological parameters evaluated. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the additive, at the levels of inclusion assessed shows prebiotic potential and it has effects on fecal fermentation products and microbiota without interfering on crude protein and dry matter digestibility. More studies evaluating grater inclusion levels of the prebiotic are necessary to determine optimal concentration.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34784923/