THE INTAKE OF POLYUNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDS BY CATS IS REFLECTED IN THEIR ADIPOSE-TISSUE

To find out whether the composition of the subcutaneous adipose tissue of cats reflects the intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids, we perfor med a feeding trial. Six groups of kittens were fed on diets with vari able combinations of corn, linseed, and fish oil. After 5 months, biop sies of subcutaneous adipose tissue were analysed for their contents o f linoleic, alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic aci d. The observed strong correlations between dietary and fat tissue pol yunsaturated fatty acids indicate that the fatty acid composition of a dipose tissue may be used as an index of the fatty acid composition of the diet. Thus, in epidemiological studies on the possible relationsh ip between dietary fat type and feline disease the fatty acid composit ion of adipose tissue might be a useful measure.