Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
Yuanlong Pan
Nestle Purina Research, USA
Keynote: J Nutr Food Sci
Aging affects all tissues and organs in humans and animals including dogs and cats. Some senior dogs and cats eventually develop cognitive impairment and dementia called cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS), a condition similar to Alzheimer�s disease in people. Since CDS is not a curable condition, our non-invasive research has been focused on nutritional strategies that promote healthy brain aging in dogs and cats. We have developed two nutritional solutions to enhance cognitive functions in dogs and cats. The first solution is to address the reduced ability of aging brain cells to utilize glucose as energy by feeding medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), and our studies have confirmed that MCTs enhance cognition in aging dogs. The second nutritional solution is to minimize known risk factors associated with brain aging. Since there are multiple risk factors, we have developed a nutrient blend targeting those risk factors and confirmed that the nutrient blend significantly enhances cognitive functions in middle-aged and aging cats. In summary, our research demonstrates that optimal nutrition can enhance cognitive functions in healthy aging dogs and cats. What we have developed for pets will help facilitate the development of similar nutritional solutions for people.
Yuanlong Pan has completed his BVM from Gansu Agricultural University, P.R. China. He received his PhD in Animal Nutrition from Virginia Tech, USA and PhD in Human Nutrition from UNC-Greensboro, USA. He conducted research in the area of menopause and cognition at Wake Forest University School of Medicine from 1996 to 2000. In 2000, he joined Nestle Purina Research. He has published more than 18 papers, and obtained 78 patents. He won the Academy of Science-St. Louis 2016 George Engelmann Interdisciplinary Award for his outstanding achievement in science through collaboration and became a Fellow of the Academy of Science- St. Louis.
Email: yuanlong.pan@rd.nestle.com