Compositions and Methods for Preventing or Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease

A method for determining if a feline is suffering from inflammatory bowel disease comprising:

• dividing lymphocytes collected from blood obtained from the feline into a first, second, and third sample with all samples comprising equal amounts of lymphocytes;
• exposing the second sample to an amount of a mitogen for a period of time;
• exposing the third sample to the same amount of the same mitogen as the second sample for the same period of time as the second sample in the presence of an amount of docosahexaenoic acid;
• and
• comparing levels of lymphocyte proliferation in all samples, wherein if the level of lymphocyte proliferation in the second sample is higher than the level of lymphocyte proliferation in the first sample, and the level of lymphocyte proliferation in the third sample is lower than the level of lymphocyte proliferation in the second sample, then the feline is suffering from inflammatory bowel disease.

A kit comprising in separate containers in a single package or in separate containers in a virtual package, as appropriate for the kit components either (A) docosahexaenoic acid, (B) a composition comprising docosahexaenoic acid, or (C) two or more ingredients that, when combined together, and, optionally, with additional ingredients that are or are not a part of the kit, yield a composition comprising docosahexaenoic acid, and one or more of (1) at least one fatty acid selected from the group consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linoleic acid, (2) a food composition suitable for consumption by a feline susceptible to or suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, (3) an anti-inflammatory bowel disease agent, and (4) instructions for one or more of (a) preparing a composition comprising docosahexaenoic acid alone or in combination with at least one fatty acid selected from the group consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linoleic acid, (b) preparing a food composition suitable for consumption by a feline susceptible to or suffering from inflammatory bowel disease comprising a therapeutically-effective amount of docosahexaenoic acid alone or in combination with at least one tatty acid selected from the group consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linoleic acid, (c) administering docosahexaenoic acid alone or in combination with at least one fatty acid selected from the group consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linoleic acid to a feline to prevent and/or treat inflammatory bowel disease, (d) preventing and/or treating inflammatory bowel disease in a feline by feeding the feline a composition comprising docosahexaenoic acid alone or in combination with at least one fatty acid selected from the group consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linoleic acid, (e) administering an anti-inflammatory bowel disease agent to a feline in conjunction with feeding the feline a composition comprising docosahexaenoic acid alone or in combination with at least one fatty acid selected from the group consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linoleic acid, and (f) preventing and/or treating inflammatory bowel disease in a feline by administering to the feline an anti-inflammatory bowel disease agent in conjunction with feeding the feline a composition comprising docosahexaenoic acid alone or in combination with at least one fatty acid selected from the group consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linoleic acid.