Age and weight affect diabetic conditions in cats

High dietary carbohydrate is suggested to promote development of diabetes mellitus in cats. Glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion were assessed in young (median 1.1 years) and mature (median 5.8 years) sexually intact females of a large feline colony in which only dry-type diets (35% metabolizable energy as carbohydrate) were fed from weaning.

High dietary carbohydrate is suggested to promote development of diabetes mellitus in cats. Glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion were assessed in young (median 1.1 years) and mature (median 5.8 years) sexually intact females of a large feline colony in which only dry-type diets (35% metabolizable energy as carbohydrate) were fed from weaning.

Compared to the young cats, the mature cats had greater body weights (median 2.9 vs. 4.0 kg), greater late-phase insulin responses, lower insulin-induced glycaemic changes, lower early-phase insulin responses and non-significantly different rates of glucose disposal. The late-phase insulin response was correlated with body weight and age. When group assignments were balanced for body weight, the age-group differences and correlations became non-significant.

The findings indicate body weight gain is more likely than dry-type diets to induce the pre-diabetic conditions of insulin resistance and secretion dysfunction.

Source : R.C. Backus et al., 2010. Age and body weight effects on glucose and insulin tolerance in colony cats maintained since weaning on high dietary carbohydrate. JAPAN online July 2010. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2010.01014.x

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