Abstract
Previously the rice bran fermented powder (RBFP), which went through lactic fermentation by applying the lactic bacterium of vegetable origin to rice bran, was developed by Ohtomo, et al., and it is proved that the RBFP decreases the amount of visceral fat, and normalizes both the levels of the serum triglyceride and cholesterol in the blood when orally given to rats as a dietary food supplement on an ongoing basis. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the dietary food supplement containing RBFP in various kinds of privately-owned dogs in Japan. The survey was conducted by giving the RBFP supplement to 44 dogs (1.25g/kg/day) for 8 consecutive weeks, and having those owners fill out questionnaires. The questionnaire contains a list of questions as to dogs' body weights, waist circumferences, and noticeable physiological changes, as well as behavioral alterations. The questionnaires were collected at 5 times; before the RBFP application, after 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of the application. Significant decreases were detected in the rate of changes for waist circumferences at after 4, 6, and 8 weeks of the application. It shows a certain effect of the supplement in many dogs under the various breeding conditions. On the other hand, the significant decreases in the rate of changes for body weights were not detected at any time. For the question as to the supplement palatability, 70.4 % (at after 8 weeks of the application) of the owners answered “well acceptable than any other foods” or “as acceptable as other foods“. It is notable that the palatability of RBFP supplement is reliably as high as other foods.
