|
|
|
Cat Facts: Editor's Letter Diet News for Diabetic Cats By Beth Adelman for Cat Facts |
 A new study that looked at the best diets to feed diabetic cats confirmed what some veterinarians have suspected for several years: High-protein diets are more effective at managing diabetes in cats than the traditional high-fiber diabetic diets. The study at Colorado State University was led by Drs. Deborah Greco and Mark Peterson. Cats with feline type II diabetes were fed either a high-protein or a high-fiber diet, with the aim of controlling their diabetes through weight loss and nutrition. While all the cats in the study improved, 68 percent of the cats fed a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet were able to stop taking insulin.
A high-protein diet for diabetic cats is a new idea. High-fiber diets have proven effective in managing diabetes in dogs -- and humans -- but cats metabolize protein for blood sugar, not carbohydrates, and that makes them very different nutritionally. This study (funded, in part, by the Morris Animal Foundation), and many more that are currently under way, are finally moving us away from an old veterinary model that assumed what works for dogs also works for cats. It's an exciting time to be a cat! |
© Studio One Networks
