MXPA00012822A - Process and product for promoting weight loss in overweight dogs - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for feeding a pet food supplement or diet to an overweight canine for the purpose of promoting weight loss, and/or increasing lean body mass, and/or enhancing the satiety of the animal is provided. The supplement or diet contains an effective amount of L-carnitine.

Description

PRODUCT AND PROCESS TO PROMOTE WEIGHT LOSS IN OVERWEIGHT DOGS The present invention relates to a process and product to promote weight loss in overweight dogs, and more particularly a process to supplement a canine diet with -carnitine to promote weight loss, improve body composition and improve satiety in the animal. It is estimated that 20 to 40% of the dog population is overweight or obese. This represents a very large number of animals that are in need of a means to lose weight. Obesity and overweight are conditions associated with various health risks such as diabetes, increased blood pressure, increased triglyceride content in the blood, damaged locomotion, skeletal tension, increased dystocia, thyroid dysfunction, etc. Consequently, ways to help treat these conditions are very necessary for this population of animals. Currently, the most common way to treat obesity in dogs is through the use of diets that contain high amounts of fiber to dilute the calories in the diet. While in some cases these diets can be effective, they are often associated with several side effects. These include: 1) excessive excreta production, 2) decreased nutrient digestion capacity, 3) skin and poor skin layer, 4) decreased good taste and 5) constipation and (or) increased frequency of defecation. As a result, alternative nutritional means are needed to alleviate these conditions. Recently, it has been reported that carnitine, a vitamin-like substance, increased octanoate oxidation in neonatal pigs (van Kempen and Odie, J. Nutr. 125: 238-250 (1995)), decreased fat deposition and increased the oxidation of fatty acids by liver cells in growing salmon (Ji et al, J. Nutr, 126: 1937-1950 (1996), and decreased fat accumulation in the body in growing pigs (Owen et al, Ani. Sci. 74: 1612-1619 (1996) Also see U.S. Patent No. 5,626,849, which teaches a dietary supplement for weight loss that includes L-carnitine Japanese Publication No. 03094655 teaches a composition for treating diseases such as hyperlipidemia which includes protein, fat and carnitine Other pertinent, prior references include U.S. Patent Number 5,540,917 which teach an animal composition such as dogs and cats which includes a lipa inhibitor. The use of carnitine as an aid to weight loss is also described in M.F. McCarty, "Promotion of Hepatic Lipid Oxidation and Gluconeogenesis as a Strategy for Appetite Control", Medical Hypotheses, (1994). Accordingly, there is a need to address canine obesity problems as long as it still provides adequate nutrition and without the side effects associated with poor diets. The present invention addresses the problem of obese and overweight canines through the use of a diet containing complementary L-carnitine. L-carnitine is an amino acid co-factor that is synthesized in the body of an animal from amino acids, lysine and methionine. It was discovered that L-carnitine, when administered to a canine in need of treatment at extremely low supplemental amounts of 100 mg / kg of diet or less, promotes weight loss in the animal, improves the composition of the animal's body and results in improved satiety in the animal. By improving the composition of the animal's body it is meant that for a given animal that ingests a given amount of food, the percentage of body fat in the animal will be lower and the body fat percentage will be higher when the animal is provide with the effective amount of complementary L-carnitine compared to an animal that ingests the same amount of feed, but without the L-carnitine supplement. L-carnitine can be provided to the animal either as a supplement or be contained in a diet fed to the animal. This supplement may be in the form of a pill or capsule, a banquet or cookie, or other edible form. By "diet" is meant the food or drink consumed regularly by the animal. According to one aspect of the invention, a process for promoting weight loss in canines is provided and includes the step of administering to a canine an effective amount of L-carnitine for a sufficient time to effect a reduction in animal weight. . In one embodiment, L-carnitine can be administered in a diet containing complementary L-carnitine in an amount from about 15 to about 195 mg / kg and preferably from about 25 to about 150 mg / kg of diet. The diet preferably comprises from about 18 to 40% by weight of crude protein, from about 4 to about 30% by weight of fat, and from about 2 to 20% by weight of total dietary fiber, and L-carnitine is present in the diet at a concentration of between about 15 to about 195 ppm, more preferably from about 25 to about 150 ppm and more preferably from about 50 to about 100 ppm. In another embodiment of the invention, L-carnitine is administered as a supplement in an amount of between about 1 to about 100 mg of L-carnitine per day, and more preferably between about 2.5 to about 50 mg of L-carnitine. carnitine per day.

The practice of the present invention is also useful in increasing the non-fat meat mass of the body of a canine as well as improving satiety and decreasing the voluntary intake of feed from a canine. Accordingly, it is a feature of the invention to provide a process for feeding a pet food supplement or diet to provide weight loss in a canine by providing an effective amount of L-carnitine in the animal's diet. It is also a feature of the present invention to provide a pet food supplement or diet that increases the fat-free meat mass of the animal's body. It is also a feature of the present invention to provide a pet food supplement that improves satiety and reduces voluntary feed intake in a canine. These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. Reference is now made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the comparative change in weight percent of the body in dogs consuming a diet supplemented with L-carnitine against a non-supplemented diet; Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the admission of diet in dogs consuming a diet supplemented with L-carnitine; Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the body weight of dogs during ad libitum feeding and restricted from a diet supplemented with L-carnitine; Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating body fat in overweight dogs before and after 49 days of ad libitum feeding of a diet supplemented with L-carnitine; Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the body fat of dogs during ad libitum feeding and restricted from a diet supplemented with L-carnitine; Figure 6 is a graph illustrating the non-fat meat body mass of dogs during ad libitum feeding and restricted from a diet supplemented with L-carnitine; and Figure 7 is a graph illustrating the relationship of weight loss of dog food intake during ad libitum and restricted feeding of a diet supplemented with L-carnitine. Dietary supplementation of L-carnitine in amounts between about 15 to about 195 ppm, more preferably between about 20 to about 150 ppm and more preferably about 50 to about 100 ppm, promotes weight loss in canines with overweight. Where an effective amount of L-carnitine is fed to dogs that are overweight, this results in greater weight loss than animals fed a diet that does not contain complementary L-carnitine. Additionally, animals fed a diet supplemented with L-carnitine exhibited a higher percentage of body fat without body fat (LBM) than animals fed the same diet, but without supplementation of L-carnitine. Also, animals fed a diet supplemented with L-carnitine voluntarily restricted their admission of food. L-carnitine can be provided in a diet which can comprise any suitable formulation of pet food that also provides adequate nutrition for the animal. For example, a typical canine diet for use in the present invention may contain about 18-40% by weight of crude protein, about 4-30% by weight of fat and about 2-20% by weight of total dietary fiber. However, no specific percentages or relationships are required. Preferably, the animal is fed a diet supplemented with low-fat L-carnitine to promote weight loss. A typical low-fat diet may contain about 21.1% by weight of protein, about 8.6% by weight of fat and about 1.7% by weight of crude fiber. L-carnitine can also be supplied to the canine as a separate dietary supplement such as for example in the form of a pill, bisquet, or banquet. In order that the invention may be more easily understood, reference is made to the following example which is proposed to illustrate the invention.

EXAMPLE Thirty adult female beagle dogs with ovariohist erect omia were used to study the effects of L-carnitine supplementation on weight loss. All the animals were up to date in their vaccination and parasite prevention program. The dogs were individually housed in oversized pens and identified by a unique ear tattoo. Fresh water was provided ad libitum during the entire study period. The admission of food was adjusted as necessary to achieve the desired weight during the study period. Three dietary treatments were evaluated. The study consisted of three periods: weight gain, maintenance and weight loss. During the eleven week weight gain period, all dogs were fed an individual diet, from Eukanuba Veterinary Diets® Nutritional Recovery Formula ™ containing 36.1% by weight protein, 26.1% fat and 2.1% by weight of crude fiber, ad libitum At the start of the study maintenance phase (baseline or day 0), dogs were randomly divided based on body weight into three diet treatment groups of ten dogs each with a feeding transition period of three days starting on day 0. Each treatment group was randomly assigned to one of the three low-fat diets (Table 1). The only difference between the diets was the addition of 0, 50 or 100 ppm of complementary L-carnitine. There were no differences in the initial body weight or body condition between the groups.

Table 1 Chemical composition of low fat diets The dogs were on a 100% experimental diet on day 3 and were fed ad libitum during the seven-week maintenance phase of the study. During the twelve-week weight loss phase of the study, the same experimental diets were offered as during the maintenance phase. . However, the admission of food was decreased to produce approximately a body weight loss of 1.5 to 2.5% by weight per week. The exact amounts of experimental diets were fed to the dogs at approximately the same time each day and the remaining feed quantities were weighed the next day. The admission of food and body weight were monitored daily and weekly, respectively. The complete composition of the body using the dual-energy X-ray absorber (DEXA), and blood samples for CBC and chemistry were collected periodically during the study. It is the Composition of the Body by absorbing energy X-ray imaging. The dogs were screened with a bone densitometer using dual-energy X-ray energy suppressor (DEXA) Hologic QDR-2000, supported with a Hologic MXA computer program, version 8.0. All the dogs were placed and anesthetized in the dual energy X-ray absorber table (DEXA) in the recumbent dorsal position, with the legs extended caudally to avoid the overlapping of the legs on the body. The dogs were screened using the full body program of improved arrangement. The measurements of body composition, recorded consisted of surface area (cm2), bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), lean body of fat, fat content, percentage of fat and estimated body weight. All measurements were reported in grams except for percent fat and area (cm2). The percentage of fat-free meat and the BMC percent were calculated from the fat-free meat mass, BMC, and the estimated body weight data from the DEXA results. Anesthesia . The total body composition was performed concomitantly and under anesthesia. The anesthetic regimen consisted of Atropine (0.01 mg / lb) as a pre-anes ico teas, the combination of Xylazine / Telazol / Torbugésico (0.8 / 6.7 / 0.13 mg / kg) as induction and Isoflurane (Aerrane, Oh eda Pharmaceutical Products, Liberty Corner, NJ) as a maintenance agent using a nasal cone. Statistic analysis . An analysis of the classification of measures, repeated from variance 5, was used to study the effects of time-dependent "Treatment" and "Treatment X Time" (Gilí and Hafs, J. Animal Sci. 33 (2): 331 (1971)). ). The variables of the complete blood count, blood chemistry, body composition and body weights • 10 were studied using this analysis. All F tests and average separations using the Least Squares Difference (LSD) used a type 1 error ratio of 0.05. Comparisons of the degree of freedom between the diets were computed experimental B against C (comparison 1) and A against B and C (comparison 2) for the variables of body composition and body weight. The • Comparisons 1 and 2 form an orthogonal set. An a of 0.05 was used to test the non-zero value of the average of the two groups defined by agreement. The interaction "Treatment x Time" was investigated by computing a test for the linear, quadratic and cubic response over time for each treatment. Then, a test of parallelism, equal quadratic response and equal cubic response was made to test the equality of the trend in the response between treatments. An a of 0.05 for the F tests was used in all cases. All computations were made using the SAS 5 calculation program (Statistical Analysis System) (1989). Pesos corpora l es. The animals were randomly divided based on the body weights and the subjective scores of the • 10 body condition at the start of the maintenance period and the body weights were not different (P> 0.05) between the treatment groups at that time. The curves of the body weight remained somewhat parallel during all the periods (weight gain, maintenance and weight loss) of the study (See Figure 3). During periods of weight loss maintenance, all • groups lost weight linearly as the days progressed. The linear decrease in body weight was higher (P <0.05) for diet B (50 ppm) than for diet A (control). The linear decrease in diet C (100 ppm) intermediate and not different (P> 0.05) of any of the diets A or B. However, the analysis of repeated measurement revealed that the body weights of all treatment groups was different (P <0.05) at the start, midpoint and end of the period of weight loss with treatments A, C and B that have average body weight highest, lowest intermediate, respectively, throughout the study (See Table 2 below). Composition of the Body by DEXA.

The only parameters altered by the test diets were the fat compartment and the estimated body weight. All other parameters measured by DEXA were not affected by the treatments. The repeated measurement analysis revealed that the fat compartment was not different (P> 0.05) at the start of the study, but all the test diets resulted in a very significant time-dependent weight and fat loss (P < 0.001) as the study progresses. At the beginning and midpoint of the period of weight loss, the estimated body weight and fat compartment were different (P <0.05) for all trial diets with the test diets A, C and B that have averages highest, intermediate and lowest, respectively. The estimated body weights were also different (P <0.05) at the end of the period of weight loss between the three test diets with the same ratio between the test diets as for the • middle point. At the end of the period of weight loss, the fat compartment was significantly larger (P <0.05) for the test diet A than for the test diets B or C, but the test diet B was not different (P >0.05) for the test diet C. Table 2 summarizes the body fat averages for each time point • 10 measured.

Table 2 Influence of the experimental diets on body fat and body weight in the baseline (beginning of the maintenance period) and during the period of weight loss (Mean ± STD) Diet Line Start Middle Point Base Termination Loss Loss of Weight Loss * Weight * Weight * Fat (grams): A 6196 ± 1069 5595 ± 994a 5246 ± 891a 4590 ± 989a B 5989 ± 1443 4871 ± 1150b 4435 ± 932b 3772 ± 819b C 6201 ± 1344 5244 ± 1244c 4824 ± 1312c 4028 ± 1445b Body Weight (Kg): A 14.9 ± 1.8 14.5 ± 2.0a 13.9 ± 1.7a 13.0 ± 1.6a B 14.8 ± 2.7 13.4 ± 2.1b 12.7 ± 1.8 12.1 ± 1.8b C 15.011.8 14.0 ± 1.6C 13.4 ± 1.6C 12.6 ± 1.6C * Averages with different superscripts within the same column are statistically significantly different (P <0.05) The relative change of percent in fat and estimated body weight of the baseline regulated a significant difference (P <0.05) between the test diet A and the test diets B and C (See Figure 4). However, the test diets B and C were not different (P> 0.05) from each other. The relative change in the BMC percent of the baseline indicated that test diet A lost less bone mineral content (P <0.05) than test diet B. No differences (P> 0.05) were observed between test diets A and C or the test diets B and C for the relative change in percent in BMC. Hem a t o l og y a y Quim i ca Sa gu n ea ea. A time / treatment interaction was detected for white blood cell (WBC) and red blood cell (RBC) counts. The WBC tended to decrease as the study progressed for all the test diets and the RBCs had a more erratic behavior. However, these two parameters remained within normal limits for the entire duration of the study. The other haematological parameters evaluated were not significantly different (P> 0.05) between the treatments. A time interaction / treatment was also detected for the various parameters of the blood chemistry, specifically glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, phosphorus and the LDH enzyme. All trial diets resulted in a significant decrease (P <0.05) in blood glucose over time. Although the blood glucose levels were different between the test diets at various time points, no different trend differentiated the effect of one trial diet from the others. The trial diets B and C tended to decrease cholesterol levels during treatment but increased again to meet the initial values at the end of the weight loss study. The cholesterol levels of the test A diet were erratic. Although the cholesterol levels were different between the test diets at the various time points, no different trend differentiated the effect of one trial diet from the others and the cholesterol remained within normal limits during the course of the study. Triglyceride levels grew as the dogs were losing weight. The test diet B resulted in the highest levels of triglycerides (P <0.05) and at the end of the study followed by the test diet A and then the test diet C. The triglyceride levels remained within the normal limit of all throughout the study except for the B trial diet that exceeded normal limits towards the end of the period of weight loss. Although statistical differences were observed for LDH and phosphorus among the test diets for the various time points, only erratic response patterns were observed for all the LDH and test diets and the phosphorus levels remained within normal limits throughout of the study. Groups of overweight dogs were fed the respective low-fat diets for seven weeks. As illustrated in Figure 1, dogs that were fed diets containing carnitine complementary 50 to 100 ppm, respectively, achieved a change in body weight of -6.4% and -5.7%, respectively, while the group of Control of dogs (without carnitine supplementation) exhibited only a body weight change of -1.8% (P <0.05 of the dogs fed control). This greater weight loss seemed to occur due to a decreased dietary intake. This is, as illustrated in Figure 2, during 7 weeks of feeding, the dog control group voluntarily consumed an average of 1695 g / week of the diet, while the groups supplemented with canteen voluntarily consumed an average weekly amount of only 1574 g / week (50 ppm of carnitine) and 1567 g / week (100 ppm of carnitine), respectively. Therefore, carnitine supplementation promoted satiety as illustrated by reduced dietary intake. An additional benefit of the complementary carnitine in the diet of the dogs was that it promoted an improved consumption of the body of the animals as shown in Table 3 below. As a result of the seven weeks that the experimental diets are fed, the lean body mass in the animal (muscle) expressed as a percent of the total body mass was increased for those dogs that were fed diets supplemented with carnitine As a consequence, the mass of fat expressed as one percent of the total body mass was decreased with the complementary carnitine.

Table 3 Influence of carnitine on body composition in dogs LBM = Body Fat Non-Fat Meat Mass BMC = Mineral Content Ós eo The dogs gained an average of 14% of body weight and had an average of 42.5% of body fat at the end of the period of weight gain. The animals lost an average of 15% of their body weight during the maintenance and weight loss phases of the experiment. See, Figures 3 and 4. As shown in Figure 4, 50 and 100 ppm of supplemented L-carnitine resulted in more body fat loss (P <0.05) compared to 0 ppm of supplementation when the difference in body fat was between day 0 and day 49 was expressed as a percentage of day 0. More fat mass was lost (P <0.05) with the supplementation of L-carnitine. As shown in Figure 5, 50 and 100 ppm of supplemented L-carnitine resulted in more loss of body fat (P <0.05) compared to no supplementation (0 ppm) when the difference in body fat between day 0 and each subsequent time point (day 49, day 92 and day 133) was expressed as a percentage of day 0. The fat-free meat mass of the animals' body was increased numerically with the supplementation of L-carnitine. As shown in Figure 6, 50 and 100 ppm of supplemented L-carnitine resulted in a lean body mass for the animals without supplementation. The supplementation of L-carnitine resulted in a greater loss of body weight (P <0.05) per amount of food consumed. As shown in Figure 7, 50 and 100 ppm of supplemented L-carnitine resulted in a greater total weight loss by total feed consumption for the animals than without complementation. While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made to the methods and apparatus described herein without departing from the scope of the invention. , which is defined in the appended claims.

Claims (9)

1. The use of a pet food composition containing L-carnitine, from 18 to 40% by weight of crude protein, from 4 to 30% of fat and from 2 to 20% by weight of total dietary fiber in the manufacture of a pet food product for use in (1) promoting weight loss and / or for (2) increasing the fat mass of the body without fat and / or (3) improving satiety and decreasing the voluntary intake of food in dogs with - overweight.

2. The use of a pet food composition according to claim 1, wherein the L-carnitine is present in the pet food composition in an amount which will provide from 15 to 195 mg of complementary L-carnitine by kg of pet food composition.

3. The use of a pet food composition according to claim 1, wherein the L-carnitine is present in the pet food composition in an amount which will provide from 25 to 150 mg of complementary L-carnitine per kg of pet food composition.

4. The use of a pet food composition according to claim 2, wherein the L-carnitine is present in the pet food composition in a concentration of between 15 to 195 ppm.

5. The use of a pet food composition according to claim 2, wherein the L-carnitine is present in the pet food composition in a concentration of between 25 to 150 ppm.

6. The use of a pet food composition according to claim 2, wherein the L-carnitine is present in the pet food composition in a concentration of between 50 to 100 ppm.

7. The use of a pet food composition according to claim 1, wherein the pet food composition comprises 21.1% crude protein, 8.6% fat by weight and 1.7% by weight crude fiber.

8. A pet food composition for promoting weight loss in a canine comprising from 18 to 40% by weight of crude protein, approximately 8.6% by weight of fat and from approximately 2 to 20% by weight of total dietary fiber , the composition that includes between 15 to 195 ppm of complementary L-carnitine.

9. A composition according to claim 8, which includes between 25 to 150 ppm of complementary L-carnitine.