Modified fish diet shifted serum metabolome and alleviated chronic anemia in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Potential role of odd-chain saturated fatty acids

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are long-lived mammals that can develop chronic aging-associated conditions similar to humans, including metabolic syndrome. Initial studies suggest that these conditions may be attenuated in dolphins using a modified fish diet. Serum metabolomics, fatty acid panels, and blood-based health indices were compared between 20 dolphins on a modified, 50% wild-type diet (50% mullet, 25% capelin, and 25% squid and/or herring) and 10 dolphins on a baseline diet (75% capelin and 25% squid and/or herring). Blood samples were collected at Months 0, 1, 3 and 6. Dolphins on the modified diet had lower insulin (7.5 ± 4.0 and 14.8 ± 14.0 μIU/ml, P = 0.039), lower cholesterol (160 ± 26 and 186 ± 24 mg/dl, P = 0.015) and higher hematocrit (46 ± 3 and 44 ± 3%, P = 0.043) by Month 1 compared to controls. Dolphins with anemia (hemoglobin ≤ 12.5 g/dl, n = 6) or low-normal hemoglobin (12.5–13.5 g/dl, n = 3) before placed on the modified diet had normal hemoglobin concentrations (> 13.5 g/dl) by Month 3. The modified diet caused a significant shift in the metabolome, which included 664 known metabolites. Thirty prioritized metabolites at Months 1 and 3 were 100% predictive of dolphins on the modified diet. Among 25 prioritized lipids, 10 (40%) contained odd-chain saturated fatty acids (OCFAs); C15:0 was the highest-prioritized OCFA. Increased dietary intake of C15:0 (from 1.3 ± 0.4 to 4.5 ± 1.1 g/day) resulted in increased erythrocyte C15:0 concentrations (from 1.5 ± 0.3 to 5.8 ± 0.8 μg/ml, P < 0.0001), which independently predicted raised hemoglobin. Further, increasing age was associated with declining serum C15:0 (R(2) = 0.14, P = 0.04). While higher circulating OCFAs have been previously associated with lower risks of cardiometabolic diseases in humans, further studies are warranted to assess potential active roles of OCFAs, including C15:0, in attenuating anemia.