Cho Hyun-Woo, Seo Kangmin, Lee Min Young, Lee Sang-Yeob, So Kyoung-Min, Song Seung-Yeob, Seo Woo-Duck, Chun Ju Lan, Kim Ki Hyun
Animal Welfare Research Team, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Wanju 55365, Republic of Korea.
Ingredient Examination Diversion, National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Gimcheon 39660, Republic of Korea.
Microorganisms. 2025 Mar 4;13(3):594. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13030594.
Barley sprouts, the germinated and grown leaves of barley, contain various bioactive compounds, including policosanol, saponarin, and lutonarin. The ingestion of barley sprouts may benefit canine weight management, potentially owing to the anti-obesity properties of bioactive compounds. However, there is limited evidence on the efficacy and safety of barley sprout supplementation in dogs. Therefore, through this study, we assessed the impact of barley-sprout-supplemented diet on body weight and health markers in healthy adult beagles over a 16-week period. The results showed a 7.2% reduction in body weight in dogs fed the barley sprout diet. Hematology, complete blood cell count, and blood biochemistry analyses confirmed that all parameters remained within normal ranges, with no significant differences observed between the control and experimental groups. Although the levels of IFN-γ, IL-6, and insulin remained stable, leptin, a hormone associated with body fat, significantly decreased. Further analysis of alterations in the gut microbiota following barley sprout supplementation revealed no significant differences between the control and experimental groups with respect to alpha and beta diversity analysis. The shift at the phylum level, with a decrease in and an increase in , resulted in a reduced Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. Additionally, the abundance of the group was high in the experimental group. Functional predictions indicated an enhancement in carbohydrate, amino acid, and cofactor and vitamin metabolism. These findings suggest that a barley sprouts diet is safe for dogs and may offer benefits for weight management through favorable alterations in body weight, hormone levels, and gut microbiota composition.
大麦芽是大麦发芽生长的叶子，含有多种生物活性化合物，包括多廿烷醇、皂草苷和黄木犀草素。摄入大麦芽可能有助于犬类体重管理，这可能归因于生物活性化合物的抗肥胖特性。然而，关于给犬补充大麦芽的功效和安全性的证据有限。因此，通过本研究，我们评估了在16周内给健康成年比格犬喂食添加大麦芽的饮食对其体重和健康指标的影响。结果显示，喂食大麦芽饮食的犬体重减轻了7.2%。血液学、全血细胞计数和血液生化分析证实，所有参数均保持在正常范围内，对照组和实验组之间未观察到显著差异。虽然干扰素-γ、白细胞介素-6和胰岛素水平保持稳定，但与体脂相关的激素瘦素显著下降。对补充大麦芽后肠道微生物群变化的进一步分析表明，在α和β多样性分析方面，对照组和实验组之间没有显著差异。在门水平上的变化，即[此处原文缺失相关内容]减少和[此处原文缺失相关内容]增加，导致厚壁菌门/拟杆菌门的比例降低。此外，实验组中[此处原文缺失相关内容]组的丰度较高。功能预测表明碳水化合物、氨基酸以及辅因子和维生素代谢增强。这些发现表明，大麦芽饮食对犬是安全的，并且可能通过体重、激素水平和肠道微生物群组成的有利变化为体重管理带来益处。
