Consumption of fish oil, which contains the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), has health benefits. There is concern about the limited availability of fish stocks/oil, so alternative sources of EPA and DHA are sought. This study evaluated the effects of replacing fish oil with algal oil in feline foods on serum EPA and DHA concentrations. Blood serum DHA in cats increased similarly when either fish oil or algal oil levels increased in the food. Blood serum EPA increased with higher levels of either oil in the food, but blood serum EPA levels were higher in cats fed food with fish oil than in cats fed food with algal oil. This is because foods were titrated with equivalent levels of DHA via fish or algal oil, and fish oil was included at higher levels due to its lower DHA content than algal oil. These results show that algal oil may be an alternative source of DHA. The serum bioavailability of EPA and DHA from algal oil is similar to that from fish oil, but an algal oil would need to provide equivalent concentrations of EPA and DHA to those of the tested fish oil to be biologically equivalent in cats.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.