Dietary choline, a fat burner for obese cats

肥胖是猫科动物群体的主要健康风险，特别是因为肥胖的猫易患毁灭性的健康并发症，对生活质量有很大的负面影响，并缩短寿命。此外，北美的患病率已经达到53%，并继续增加。减肥是建议超重的猫，但目前的减肥计划往往有令人失望的结果，并不是没有风险。在严重的能量限制期间，肥胖使猫易患肝脂肪变性，其特征在于肝脏中的脂质积聚。虽然确切的发病机制仍然是一个谜，它被认为是猫的蛋白质和脂质代谢的具体特点参与。胆碱在代谢上与脂质代谢相关。它是合成磷脂酰胆碱的前体，磷脂酰胆碱是极低密度脂蛋白的结构成分，可加速肝脏脂肪的清除。此外，胆碱还增强了肝脏合成的肉毒碱，这是已知的促进脂肪酸氧化。据推测，膳食胆碱补充剂将降低体重，即使在没有能量限制的情况下，并通过减少脂肪量和增加瘦体重来改变身体组成。本研究的目的是描述饮食中补充胆碱对肥胖猫体重维持期间身体组成的影响。这项研究项目的最终结果可以提供一种新的营养策略，通过最大限度地减少脂肪组织和保护瘦体组织，同时最大限度地减少猫肝脏中的脂质积累，实现肥胖猫更快而安全的减肥。

Obesity represents a major health risk for the feline population, especially as obese cats are predisposed to devastating health complications that have a large negative impact on the quality of life and reduce life span. Moreover, the prevalence, reaching 53% in North America already, continues to increase. Weight reduction is recommended in overweight cats yet current weight-loss programs tend to have disappointing outcomes and are not without risks. During periods of severe energy restriction, obesity predisposes cats to hepatic lipidosis, which is characterized by lipid accumulation in the liver. Although the precise pathogenesis remains a mystery, it is believed that specific characteristics of feline protein and lipid metabolism are involved. Choline is metabolically linked to lipid metabolism. It is the precursor for the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, a structural component of very-low-density lipoproteins which accelerate the removal of fat from the liver. Furthermore, choline also enhances the hepatic synthesis of carnitine, which is known to promote fatty acid oxidation. It is hypothesised that dietary choline supplementation will decrease body weight, even in the absence of energy restriction, and alter body composition by decreasing fat mass and increasing lean body mass. The objective of this research project is to describe the effects of dietary choline supplementation on body composition in obese cats during weight maintenance. Eventually results from this research project could provide a new nutritional strategy to achieve faster yet safe weight loss in obese cats by maximizing loss of adipose tissue and conservation of lean body tissue, while minimizing lipid accumulation in the feline liver.