The Gut, the Brain and the Well-Being of Pets By Francesca Susca, DVM, PhD, Pet Development Manager, Lallemand Animal Nutrition In the last decade pet food has experienced a shift toward premiumisation
the factors recognised as affecting the microbiota. For example, it was
and humanisation. These strong trends are driven by pet owners who
shown in dogs that a relatively small amount of dietary fibre was able
consider their pets to be family members, highlighted even more so
to detectably change the structure of the gut microbiota. In the same
over the last year. Pet food manufacturers, combining pet needs and
way, functional ingredients such as prebiotics and probiotics — well
pet owners’ desires, have rapidly transferred global food trends from
documented to influence the microbiota of many species — have shown
human nutrition to pet food.
positive effects on pet microbiota too, as illustrated by a study in dogs
According to market research, over 80% of new pet food product
with live yeast S. cerevisiae var. boulardii on the prevention of antibiotic-
launches bear some health-related claims, with 22% being digestive claims
associated diarrhoea (Aktas et al, 2007). Probiotic studies in pets are
(source: Innova Market research, Feb. 2017). In fact, gastrointestinal tract
still scarce, but the volume of literature on the mode of action for many
(GIT) disorders are some of the most common reasons for veterinary
probiotic strains and their effects in humans and other mammals, are a
consultations. Beyond GIT disorders there are some other concerns such
good indicators for their potential in dogs and cats.
as optimal nutrition, obesity, immune defences, healthy aging and stress.
Some GIT disorders, both acute and chronic, are well known to
The COVID-19 outbreak has emphasised the role that food fortification
be associated with alterations in microbial communities, but it is now
has on supporting mental well-being and the immune system, the latter
increasingly documented that disorders beyond the GIT such as obesity,
already being seen among the top claims in 2019 (source: Euromonitor
atopic dermatitis or central nervous disorders, can also be linked to
International, Aug. 2020).
changes in the microbiota. In this context, functional ingredients that
Overall, well-being can be described as a main concern for any pet
are known to influence the microbiota composition such as prebiotics,
owner, but what does well-being mean and how can we define pet well-
probiotics, para-probiotics and other nutritional interventions, could offer
being? There are four main principles commonly used to assess animal
an alternative approach to tackle these issues.
well-being: good feeding, good housing, good health and appropriate behaviour. Some of these parameters can be linked to a central organ
Interventions: shaping the microbiota
which is often underestimated: the gut and its billions of inhabitants,
Yeast derivative products are well known for their benefits in animal
the microbiota.
nutrition: used to help balance the intestinal microflora and help stimulate
Is there a way to improve pet well-being by shaping their gut microbiota with natural ingredients?
the host’s natural defences. Research has shown that beneficial effects, such as the specific mode of action for immune system modulation, differ according to the strain of yeast selected, as well as the production process
The microbiota: a key player
used. Not all yeasts are equal, and that’s why YANG, an innovative The digestive tract of
prebiotic solution, was developed following an in-depth research and
dogs and cats harbours
development programme. YANG is a combination of 3 yeast fractions
a complex community of
from different strains/ species, acting synergistically to reinforce natural
microorganisms, called the
defences and support digestive care. The three yeast fractions were
gut microbiota, which plays a
specifically selected for their distinct morpho-functional features: high
crucial role in the host’s overall
amounts of adhesive polysaccharide patches and adhesion strength,
health. Recent developments
resulting in the superior binding capacity of YANG, as seen by pathogen
in the field of sequencing
agglutination. Combining these specific yeast strains has also been seen
techniques, with the OMICS revolution, have considerably enlarged our
to induce a better and more balanced modulation of the immune system
understanding of the microbiota and its potential functions.
by targeting multiple immune receptors at once.
The gut microbiota is a dynamic system with great intra- and inter-
A study conducted in conjunction with the University of Bologna
individual variations. Its three main functions are key to ensuring the
incubated 5 flasks containing canine faecal inoculum and undigested
maintenance of overall health to the host’s gastrointestinal tract (GIT): 1)
residues from a pre-digested extruded diet, either with YANG at 0.8g
metabolic function 2) protective function, and 3) structural function.
YANG/ kg food, or without, in an anaerobic chamber (Biagi et al., 2016;
The complex interactions between the microbiota, the host immune
Pinna et al., 2016). Extruded diets were fed for at least 4 weeks prior to
system and host genetics influence the balance between health and
faecal collection in order to see an effect on microbiota composition. Total
disease. Genetics, age, environment, antibiotics and diet, are some of
microbial population and beneficial bacteria contents were analysed and
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Pet Food Supplement 2021
