Date: 24/03/2025

Because they are strict carnivores, cats have specific nutritional requirements, which demand a balanced food formulation to meet their physiological needs.

In addition to their specific nutritional needs, cats are susceptible to metabolic and inflammatory disorders, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension and digestive dysfunction, which can compromise their quality of life. Feline hypertension is among the most worrying conditions, often associated with chronic kidney disease and hormonal imbalances, and can affect organs such as the brain, kidneys and eyes. Cardiovascular diseases can increase blood pressure and lead to changes in heart function, while digestive dysfunctions, such as malabsorption of nutrients and intestinal inflammation, can affect the balance of the digestive system.

Among the advances in the field of pet nutrition, bioactive peptides have been gaining prominence for their functional properties, contributing to digestibility, nutrient absorption and support for the immune system. In addition, studies indicate that these compounds play a relevant role in regulating blood pressure, helping to prevent feline hypertension.

In this content, we provide an analysis of the nutritional requirements of cats and how the inclusion of specific ingredients, such as hydrolyzed proteins with bioactive peptides, can contribute to the digestive, immune and cardiovascular health of felines.

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Cats’ nutritional requirements and the importance of a balanced diet

Cats have unique metabolic characteristics that require special attention when it comes to their diet in order to guarantee their health and well-being.

As strict carnivores, they need specific nutrients that they cannot synthesize in adequate quantities, which sets them apart from other species, such as dogs. Given this particularity, it is important to pay attention to the diet formulated to meet their specific nutritional requirements (CARCIOFI, 2008).

Unlike omnivorous animals, cats have a higher protein requirement and demand high amounts of essential amino acids, according to Cappilli et al (2016).

In summary, the main nutritional requirements of cats are:

High biological value proteins

Fundamental for muscle maintenance and metabolic support.

Taurine and arachidonic acid

Essential for cardiovascular health and physical functions.

Arginine

Necessary for the elimination of ammonia from the body, preventing metabolic alterations.

B-complex vitamins

Essential for energy metabolism.

As with other species, the formulation of cat food must guarantee an adequate supply of each of these nutrients, since nutritional deficiencies can lead to serious problems, such as cardiac alterations due to a lack of taurine, neurological disorders due to arginine deficiency and hypertension associated with metabolic imbalances. In addition, an inadequate supply of amino acids can also affect immunity, making the animal more vulnerable to infections.

Therefore, ensuring a nutritionally balanced diet is essential for maintaining health, digestibility and preventing chronic diseases in cats.

Nutrition as support for the immune system and the control of hypertension

It is clear that nutrition plays an essential role in maintaining immunity and preventing chronic diseases, since the right balance of proteins, lipids and micronutrients ensures that the feline organism responds efficiently to immune challenges and maintains stable metabolic function.

In addition to defense against external agents, diet also influences physiological processes that impact blood pressure and cardiovascular health. For example, feline hypertension is common in elderly cats and affects 13% of healthy cats aged 9 and over (Conroy et al. 2018). This condition is often underdiagnosed and may be associated with nutritional and metabolic factors. Therefore, feline diet formulations need to be designed with attention and precision, as adequate consumption of highly bioavailable ingredients is essential to ensure that cats have adequate nutritional support for these processes.

The adoption of a diet formulated with high quality and digestible ingredients helps with the metabolic stability of cats, contributing to the regulation of blood pressure and the strengthening of the immune system.

In addition, the balanced presence of functional compounds in the diet can play a complementary role in the inflammatory response and tissue integrity.

The influence of bioactive peptides on the digestibility and absorption of nutrients

Given the importance of nutrition in maintaining immunity and controlling chronic conditions, it is essential to understand how functional ingredients can optimize the digestibility and use of nutrients in the feline diet.

Among these ingredients, bioactive peptides have been gaining prominence due to their beneficial properties for cats' metabolism.

Bioactive peptides are protein fragments obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis processes, with a low molecular weight and high bioavailability (De Castro & Sato, 2015). Unlike intact proteins, these compounds are absorbed directly by the intestine without the need for prior digestion, facilitating the assimilation of essential amino acids and promoting better feed conversion.

In addition to their efficiency in digestion and absorption, bioactive peptides have functional properties that help regulate metabolism, including antioxidant, antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effects (De Castro & Sato, 2015).

In this context, the inclusion of hydrolyzed proteins rich in bioactive peptides in the formulation of feline diets represents a breakthrough in animal nutrition, providing metabolic support, optimized digestibility and additional benefits for cardiovascular and immune health.

BioActio as an aid in improving digestibility, immunity and preventing cardiovascular diseases

Advances in knowledge about animal nutrition have enabled the development of functional ingredients that provide specific health benefits for cats.

The BioActio range, in particular BioActio Health & Performance, stands out for the presence of bioactive peptides, compounds that play a crucial role in digestibility, nutrient absorption and strengthening the immune system.

Just as in humans, hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney diseases in cats, and the regulation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a key mechanism for controlling blood pressure. Studies show that the inclusion of BioActio Health & Performance in the diet of cats reduced ACE activity by more than 11%, contributing to a better balance of blood pressure and reducing cardiovascular overload.

In addition to the antihypertensive activity, other tests carried out with the inclusion of BioActio in feline food showed an increase of 3.5% in the levels of available lysine, promoting greater efficiency in strengthening the immune system, another point of attention for cats' immune health, which is directly influenced by the availability of essential amino acids.

Digestibility is also a key issue. Therefore, foods enriched with hydrolyzed proteins containing bioactive peptides are easier for cats' bodies to process, allowing for better assimilation of essential nutrients such as amino acids, vitamins and minerals. As a result, the feline metabolism becomes more efficient, directly reflecting on the health and longevity of the animals.

By bringing together biotechnological processes and nutritional science, the inclusion of functional ingredients such as BioActio Health & Performance in cat food demonstrates a significant advance in the formulation of more complete, balanced diets aligned with the specific physiological needs of the species.

Final considerations

Feline nutrition should consider not only the supply of essential nutrients, but also the functionality of ingredients in the digestive, immune and cardiovascular health of cats.

The application of functional ingredients, such as BioActio Health & Performance, represents an advance in the formulation of foods that meet the physiological needs of the species, because the use of hydrolyzed proteins with bioactive peptides has proven to be an efficient approach to optimizing nutrient absorption and offering more complete metabolic support.

The studies presented show the positive impact of this technology on modulating immunity and controlling hypertension, which are fundamental aspects for maintaining the health and longevity of felines.

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