Effects of two commercially available feline diets on glucose and insulin concentrations, insulin sensitivity and energetic efficiency of weight gain

Abstract

A low-carbohydrate, high-protein (LCHP) diet is often recommended for the prevention and management of diabetes in cats; however, the effect of macronutrient composition on insulin sensitivity and energetic efficiency for weight gain is not known. The present study compared the effect in adult cats (n 32) of feeding a LCHP (23 and 47 % metabolisable energy (ME)) and a high-carbohydrate, low-protein (HCLP) diet (51 and 21 % ME) on fasting and postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations, and on insulin sensitivity. Tests were done in the 4th week of maintenance feeding and after 8 weeks of ad libitum feeding, when weight gain and energetic efficiency of each diet were also measured. When fed at maintenance energy, the HCLP diet resulted in higher postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations. When fed ad libitum, the LCHP diet resulted in greater weight gain (P,0·01), and was associated with higher energetic efficiency. Overweight cats eating the LCHP diet had similar postprandial glucose concentrations to lean cats eating the HCLP diet. Insulin sensitivity was not different between the diets when cats were lean or overweight, but glucose effectiveness was higher after weight gain in cats fed the HCLP diet. According to the present results, LCHP diets fed at maintenance requirements might benefit cats with multiple risk factors for developing diabetes. However, ad libitum feeding of LCHP diets is not recommended as they have higher energetic efficiency and result in greater weight gain.Key words: Diet effect: Cats: Glucose and insulin: Weight gainThere are currently a large number of diets available commercially for cats, which vary greatly in nutrient composition. Cats are strict carnivores and do not metabolise carbohydrates efficiently (1 -5) . The typical prey diet of cats is low in carbohydrate (,10 % metabolisable energy (ME)) (6) ; however, most commercially available dry cat foods are moderate to high in carbohydrate content (. 25 -55 % ME), partly because of the difficulty in formulating extruded, dry diets that are low in carbohydrate, and partly because cereal is a relatively inexpensive ingredient, and there is demand for lower-cost diets in the pet food market.Low-carbohydrate, high-protein (LCHP) diets have been reported in research abstracts and in a recent publication to significantly reduce the postprandial increase in blood glucose concentration compared with high-carbohydrate, low-protein (HCLP) diets (Farrow HA, Rand JS and Sunvold GD (2002); Singh R, Rand J and Morton J (2006), unpublished results) (7) , possibly indicating a reduced demand on the b-cells to produce insulin. A LCHP diet has also been shown to reduce the need for exogenous insulin administration in diabetic cats (8) . Diabetes in cats is similar to human type 2 diabetes, characterised by decreased insulin secretion and insulin resistance (9,10) , and it has been hypothesised that a high-carbohydrate diet fed long term potentially might be a risk factor for the development of diabetes mellitus in cats (11) .Increa...

Feline obesity - prevalence, risk factors, pathogenesis, associated conditions and assessment: a review

“…There is also a relationship with treat feeding and obesity and it has been observed that overweight cats tend to be fed more treats than normal weight cats (Russell et al 2000;Kienzle and Bergler 2006). Dietary fat and energy density are positively associated with weight gain in ad libitumfed cats, while carbohydrate content above 40% of metabolisable energy (ME) is negatively associated with weight gain Coradini et al 2011;Hewson-Hughes et al 2011). There appears to be a "carbohydrate ceiling" in cats whereby, at carbohydrate levels found in many economy feline diets (> 40% ME), energy intake is reduced to limit carbohydrate intake Hewson-Hughes et al 2011).…”

Impact of Commercially Available Diabetic Prescription Diets on Short-Term Postprandial Serum Glucose, Insulin, Triglyceride and Free Fatty Acid Concentrations of Obese Cats

“…Given that postprandial serum glucose and insulin concentrations in obese cats can be drastically changed and altered by diet, as compared with healthy cats [8,26], we assessed and compared the influence of four different commercially available prescription feline diets on in terms of postprandial glucose, insulin, triglyceride (TG) and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations, four important key parameters often monitored and assessed in obese and diabetic cats. There are currently a large number of diets available commercially for cats, which vary greatly in nutrient composition.…”

“…Recent theories suggest that high-carbohydrate diets may lead to DM in felines, since carnivores are not well adapted to readily metabolize large amounts of glucose efficiently, as a source of energy [20]. Moreover, cats lack salivary amylase and demonstrate low activity of intestinal enzymes commonly involved in carbohydrate breakdown, such as intestinal amylase and disaccharidases [8].…”

“…Recent studies have indicated that a diet high in carbohydrate and low in protein results in greater postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations as compared with a low carbohydrate and high protein diet in lean cats [8]. In their natural habitat, cats would normally consume prey high in protein, with moderate amounts of fat, and a minimal amount of carbohydrate; thus, cats are metabolically adapted for greater metabolism of proteins and lower utilization of carbohydrates, as compared with other omnivores.…”

“…Several studies have employed a test meal, for evaluating postprandial glucose concentrations, insulin concentrations or changes in body weight [4,19,20,37]. However, information on the effects of the use of commercially available prescription diets to manage feline obesity is scarce and thus far includes only two studies that have investigated the effects of these diets on glucose and insulin concentrations in cats [8,26]. Furthermore, our previous study demonstrated that commercially available diabetic prescription diets affect postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations in nonobese healthy cats [28]; however, no study has investigated the effects in obese cats.…”