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Canned food increases the risk of Hyperthyroidism

post #1 of 26
1/19/11 at 10:27pm
Thread Starter 
Well, I guess you a d*mned if you do, and d*mned if you don't!
Imagine my surprise when I read on Winn Feline Foundation that one of the undoubted and major risk factors for Hyperthyroidismis - TA-DA! Cats who are fed a wet diet from a can! That part is important, as the pouch doesn't affect the risks... apparently there is something on the can itself that does that... Could it be the Aluminum?
Did Anybody Know that?

Here is the study:
Quote:
In the univariate analysis, hyperthyroid cats were more likely to have used a litter box, to be fed wet cat food, to have been fed wet food from a can (as opposed to being fed wet food only from pouches), to be fed all categories of table food including high-fat dairy products, and were more likely to have been exposed to smokers in their environment and to household flea treatments. These findings were similar to those of previous studies. Exposure to food packaged in cans was identified as the major risk factor for the development of hyperthyroidism.
http://winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com...hyroidism.html
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post #2 of 26
1/19/11 at 10:35pm
NO though I hate aluminum and try not to feed it,.... it is the can lining and sealing agents
... BPA in most cans and a sealing agent I dont remember the name off hand
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post #3 of 26
1/19/11 at 10:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharky View Post
NO though I hate aluminum and try not to feed it,.... it is the can lining and sealing agents
... BPA in most cans and a sealing agent I dont remember the name off hand
Boy, that sucks! How come they didn't come up with anything yet? Or why are these foods not made into pouches then? Anything about the pouches we should know?
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post #4 of 26
1/19/11 at 10:43pm
pouches have a sealing agent and also have thin plastic next to the food ( guess how it is cooked?... Yup in pouch .. what happens when you steam plastic on your food?)./.. This is why I feed a little of everything
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post #5 of 26
1/19/11 at 11:57pm
Where do they show their results? I can't find it in the links.

To prove a point, I did a study back in middle-school comparing test scores of students with attached or free earlobes, and sure enough attached earlobes scored higher... one of the two had to. So surely its a clear sign of intelligence!

Without real numbers to quantify what the risk is, its meaningless IMO.

My kitties and I shall continue to enjoy our canned food.
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post #6 of 26
1/20/11 at 12:02am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
Where do they show their results? I can't find it in the links.

To prove a point, I did a study back in middle-school comparing test scores of students with attached or free earlobes, and sure enough attached earlobes scored higher... one of the two had to. So surely its a clear sign of intelligence!

Without real numbers to quantify what the risk is, its meaningless IMO.

My kitties and I shall continue to enjoy our canned food.
You want numbers? How is Medical records of 169,576 cats over a 20yr period for ya? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

BTY, this link was there, on my original link, if you scroll down to related articles....

Here is the Abstract for the Original Link where One hundred and nine hyperthyroid cats and 196 control cats were surveyed (more numbers, as you asked...) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

And here, from the same place, also found in the Related Articles, another study with 375 catshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum
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post #7 of 26
1/20/11 at 12:13am
Those results could be misleading based on the number of VALID cases they examined. From the link:

Quote:
Medical records of 169,576 cats, including 3,570 cats with hyperthyroidism, evaluated at 9 veterinary school hospitals during a 20-year period, and 109 cats with hyperthyroidism (cases) and 173 cats without hyperthyroidism (controls).
There may have been 169,576 cats, but that is a misleading number, since only 3,570 had any possibility of proving or disproving what they set out to about canned food causing hyperthyroidism. Also, I know many of you do tell your vet exactly what you're feeding your cats to make sure it's an optimal diet, but I, and I assume many more, do not. That is why I bolded the second bit there, because we have no idea what was contained in the 3,570 hyperthroid medical records, and diet is often not reported to the vet. The only cases that can truly be considered are the 109 active hyperthyroid cases they examined.
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post #8 of 26
1/20/11 at 12:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rad65 View Post
Those results could be misleading based on the number of VALID cases they examined. From the link:



There may have been 169,576 cats, but that is a misleading number, since only 3,570 had any possibility of proving or disproving what they set out to about canned food causing hyperthyroidism. Also, I know many of you do tell your vet exactly what you're feeding your cats to make sure it's an optimal diet, but I, and I assume many more, do not. That is why I bolded the second bit there, because we have no idea what was contained in the 3,570 hyperthroid medical records, and diet is often not reported to the vet. The only cases that can truly be considered are the 109 active hyperthyroid cases they examined.
No... This was a Study based on a questionnaire which included diet... Did you read the Study procedures?
Quote:
PROCEDURE: Age-adjusted hospital prevalence of hyperthyroidism was calculated by use of Veterinary Medical Database records. On the basis of owners' questionnaire responses, logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between consumption of canned food and development of hyperthyroidism.
Also, there were all those cats involved, including including 3,570 cats with hyperthyroidism. Evidently, if you are studying a disease and its causes, you are studying healthy cats as well, not only sick cats.

The numbers are NOT misleading AT all IMO:
Quote:
Medical records of 169,576 cats, including 3,570 cats with hyperthyroidism, evaluated at 9 veterinary school hospitals during a 20-year periodThis is based on medical records, and 109 cats with hyperthyroidism (cases) and 173 cats without hyperthyroidism (controls)This on additional lab study
Whoever has done study in a lab here will know, if you don't have the data - for example, cats without the information as far as diet, you do not use that information as valid data (for the medical record study). That doesn't mean the 169,576 cats were not valid cases. Valid cases are used on studies and presented as data.
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post #9 of 26
1/20/11 at 2:50am
Honestly, everything seems to do something....As I am writing this a report on tv says humidifiers are now dangerous to kids due to mold build up....

I also heard that flame retardants used in furniture is also connected to HT in cats.

Ugh. I guess just do the best we can....but it's getting more difficult every day!
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post #10 of 26
1/20/11 at 5:33am
Food for thought in these two articles

In this one
http://www.2ndchance.info/hyperthyroid.htm
scroll down to
Why Did My Cat Develop Hyperthyroidism ?

The other article
http://www.examiner.com/cats-in-denv...idism-your-cat
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post #11 of 26
1/20/11 at 10:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Violet View Post
Food for thought in these two articles

In this one
http://www.2ndchance.info/hyperthyroid.htm
scroll down to
Why Did My Cat Develop Hyperthyroidism ?

The other article
http://www.examiner.com/cats-in-denv...idism-your-cat
Thanks for the links; they're very interesting. I heard about the study Carolina cited (I like the Winn Feline Foundation site, too!) a while ago, but I was unaware of the theory that feeding fish is a factor.
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post #12 of 26
1/20/11 at 11:28am
I'm curious. Exactly how many years have wet pouch foods been available for cats? I'm not thinking that it's been 20+ years - I don't remember seeing them in my childhood. So how could they do a completely controlled study of that time period and prove that pouch wet food is safer? How can they not be sure that it's just not some types wet foods entirely (like fish) regardless of how the food is packaged?
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post #13 of 26
1/20/11 at 11:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolina View Post
You want numbers? How is Medical records of 169,576 cats over a 20yr period for ya?
No offense, but how is that a useful number?

As cited in my previous example, you could compare the SAT scores of the entire population of the United States over a 20 year period and show the result that attached earlobes resulted in higher measured intelligence than free.

The numbers you would need for it to have any meaning is that say 50.7% of those with attached earlobes scored higher on tests. You could then determine for yourself that its an insignificant result, which obviously it is.

And then throw in numbers like shoe size, collared or uncollared shirt wearers, and other such things, but we all know its all just incidental data, which is what "litterbox use" and the like looks like to me.

Basically, what I would like to see are the numbers that led them to the conclusion that canned diets was the overwhelming cause of hyperthyroidism.

Then with that information, there should be a study on what part or process of canning they believe could be a contributing cause.

Use available research to confirm this hypothesis, or (and a lot of people won't like this) test it on lab rats.

Then publish this information to the public, and send it to the FDA to see that industry canning practices can be altered.

But from what we have been provided, I just don't see any meaning in it. Its just very premature preliminary research that makes a possible link.
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post #14 of 26
1/20/11 at 11:52am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
I'm curious. Exactly how many years have wet pouch foods been available for cats? I'm not thinking that it's been 20+ years - I don't remember seeing them in my childhood. So how could they do a completely controlled study of that time period and prove that pouch wet food is safer? How can they not be sure that it's just not some types wet foods entirely (like fish) regardless of how the food is packaged?
Strange_wings, the 20 yr old study is a Related article cited on the Winn Foundation, and it is NOT the Study from where they are drawing the conclusion that pouches are safer. On this study they concluded that a canned diet appear play a major role in HT risk increase.
Another study shows that cats that eat different flavors of canned food tend to have yet a higher risk of HT than cats that eat a single flavor of canned food.
The original study, where they compare cans and pouches, is the one on the body text. But do realize all we are seeing is an Abstract. I am sure many answers can be seen in the full article, which is 8 pages long, and can be purchased online, here.
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post #15 of 26
1/20/11 at 11:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
No offense, but how is that a useful number?

As cited in my previous example, you could compare the SAT scores of the entire population of the United States over a 20 year period and show the result that attached earlobes resulted in higher measured intelligence than free.

The numbers you would need for it to have any meaning is that say 50.7% of those with attached earlobes scored higher on tests. You could then determine for yourself that its an insignificant result, which obviously it is.

And then throw in numbers like shoe size, collared or uncollared shirt wearers, and other such things, but we all know its all just incidental data, which is what "litterbox use" and the like looks like to me.

Basically, what I would like to see are the numbers that led them to the conclusion that canned diets was the overwhelming cause of hyperthyroidism.

Then with that information, there should be a study on what part or process of canning they believe could be a contributing cause.

Use available research to confirm this hypothesis, or (and a lot of people won't like this) test it on lab rats.

Then publish this information to the public, and send it to the FDA to see that industry canning practices can be altered.

But from what we have been provided, I just don't see any meaning in it. Its just very premature preliminary research that makes a possible link.
No offense, but are you kidding me? I gave you 3 examples, one for over 20 thousand cats, another for over 300, and another for over 200... And all those studies are meaningless? Guess what then... You just don't want to see the obvious IMHO - in there are at least 11 universities AND the Winn Foundation... But I guess you just know more than them all...
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post #16 of 26
1/20/11 at 11:59am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
No offense, but how is that a useful number?

As cited in my previous example, you could compare the SAT scores of the entire population of the United States over a 20 year period and show the result that attached earlobes resulted in higher measured intelligence than free.

The numbers you would need for it to have any meaning is that say 50.7% of those with attached earlobes scored higher on tests. You could then determine for yourself that its an insignificant result, which obviously it is.

And then throw in numbers like shoe size, collared or uncollared shirt wearers, and other such things, but we all know its all just incidental data, which is what "litterbox use" and the like looks like to me.

Basically, what I would like to see are the numbers that led them to the conclusion that canned diets was the overwhelming cause of hyperthyroidism.

Then with that information, there should be a study on what part or process of canning they believe could be a contributing cause.

Use available research to confirm this hypothesis, or (and a lot of people won't like this) test it on lab rats.

Then publish this information to the public, and send it to the FDA to see that industry canning practices can be altered.

But from what we have been provided, I just don't see any meaning in it. Its just very premature preliminary research that makes a possible link.
You want to see the full numbers/data? They are available - Buy the articles, they are published for anyone to see it. I am sure you can get there if you follow the links... I posted one on my response to Strange_wings.
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post #17 of 26
1/20/11 at 12:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolina View Post
Another study shows that cats that eat different flavors of canned food tend to have yet a higher risk of HT than cats that eat a single flavor of canned food.
Is this true? Because I've been mixing different brands of kitten can food together for Luna and Midnight? Midnight needed the can food, because of the problem he had last month with the crystals.
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post #18 of 26
1/20/11 at 12:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by My4LLMA View Post
Is this true? Because I've been mixing different brands of kitten can food together for Luna and Midnight? Midnight needed the can food, because of the problem he had last month with the crystals.
There was one study that showed that... It is hard to imagine why though...
Quote:
Cats exposed to a variety of flavours of canned cat food were more likely to be diagnosed with hyperthyroidism than were those fed only one flavour http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum
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post #19 of 26
1/20/11 at 12:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
I'm curious. Exactly how many years have wet pouch foods been available for cats? I'm not thinking that it's been 20+ years - I don't remember seeing them in my childhood. So how could they do a completely controlled study of that time period and prove that pouch wet food is safer? How can they not be sure that it's just not some types wet foods entirely (like fish) regardless of how the food is packaged?
pouches have been Main streamed in the last 5-7 yrs ( some had a few out but not easy to find...

They CLAIM the sealant on pouches is different from canned
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post #20 of 26
1/20/11 at 5:55pm
Quote:
Cats exposed to a variety of flavours of canned cat food were more likely to be diagnosed with hyperthyroidism than were those fed only one flavour.
To this I can only say, what utter nonsense.

However, from the same source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

Quote:
Hyperthyroid cats were 6.6 times more likely (95% CI=1.8-23.9) to be reported to sleep predominantly on the floor than control cats. Cats whose bedding was regularly treated with anti-flea products appeared to be at a considerably higher risk for hyperthyroidism (OR=57.6; 95% CI=3.8-->200); and, to a lesser extent, so were cats living in households where fly sprays were reported to be used regularly (OR=3.3; 95% CI=1.2-9.3). The interaction between drinking water from puddles and regular use of organic garden fertilisers, such as compost or animal manure, was associated with a 5.3-fold (95% CI=1.1-25.6) increase in the risk of cats being diagnosed with the disease.
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post #21 of 26
1/20/11 at 6:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Violet View Post
To this I can only say, what utter nonsense.

However, from the same source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

Quote:
Hyperthyroid cats were 6.6 times more likely (95% CI=1.8-23.9) to be reported to sleep predominantly on the floor than control cats. Cats whose bedding was regularly treated with anti-flea products appeared to be at a considerably higher risk for hyperthyroidism (OR=57.6; 95% CI=3.8-->200); and, to a lesser extent, so were cats living in households where fly sprays were reported to be used regularly (OR=3.3; 95% CI=1.2-9.3). The interaction between drinking water from puddles and regular use of organic garden fertilisers, such as compost or animal manure, was associated with a 5.3-fold (95% CI=1.1-25.6) increase in the risk of cats being diagnosed with the disease.
The quote that you posted above does make sense to me as it relates to chemical agents and pesticides. If a cat sleeps mainly on the floor, I suppose it can have more contact with chemicals over the years than cats that don't. Since HT usually occurs in older cats, I can see how that can be a factor.

Now, as far as cat eating different flavors of canned food vs cats who eat the same flavor of canned food, I really can't imagine what the difference might be. The only thing I can imagine is perhaps by eating a variety it prevents the cat from getting finicky thus in the end he will end up eating more/more often. I see that clearly with my cats - I do have one here who eats a variety, and 2 who eats one flavor only due to allergies IBD. The one who eats a variety (Gracie), she eats wet 3-4 times a day, different flavors, and never gets tired of wet. The other 2, on the other hand, will get finicky from time to time, so I have to stop feeding them a couple of meals so they "miss it" then I go back and feed it again. They also don't eat nearly as much wet food as Gracie does. Gracie eats at least 6oz a day, while the other 2 eat 3oz a day and that is pushing. So that might be a factor there....

Coincidentally, Gracie has always eaten 2 wet meals her whole life, and she has Hyperthyroid, by the way.
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post #22 of 26
1/20/11 at 7:12pm
Quote:
The quote that you posted above does make sense to me as it relates to chemical agents and pesticides.
Exactly! That’s why I said “However, from the same sourceâ€

Quote:
Now, as far as cat eating different flavors of canned food vs cats who eat the same flavor of canned food, I really can't imagine what the difference might be.
Possibly/most likely some flavors and the amount of those flavors in the diet a particular cat may be sensitive to based on important info in these two articles

http://www.2ndchance.info/hyperthyroid.htm
scroll down to
Why Did My Cat Develop Hyperthyroidism ?

and
http://www.examiner.com/cats-in-denv...idism-your-cat

People who make blanket statements about canned food overlook/ignore many extremely important details that make all the difference in the world.
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post #23 of 26
1/20/11 at 7:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Violet View Post
Exactly! That’s why I said “However, from the same source”



Possibly/most likely some flavors and the amount of those flavors in the diet a particular cat may be sensitive to based on important info in these two articles

http://www.2ndchance.info/hyperthyroid.htm
scroll down to
Why Did My Cat Develop Hyperthyroidism ?

and
http://www.examiner.com/cats-in-denv...idism-your-cat

People who make blanket statements about canned food overlook/ignore many extremely important details that make all the difference in the world.
Since you deleted my statement, leaving only part of it, I am pasting it here again, as that is my theory. The studies are related to the material of the packaging of the can itself, and not of the food, which is why cats eating wet food from a pouch were not affected with an increased risk of HT.

Now, as far as cat eating different flavors of canned food vs cats who eat the same flavor of canned food, I really can't imagine what the difference might be. The only thing I can imagine is perhaps by eating a variety it prevents the cat from getting finicky thus in the end he will end up eating more/more often. I see that clearly with my cats - I do have one here who eats a variety, and 2 who eats one flavor only due to allergies IBD. The one who eats a variety (Gracie), she eats wet 3-4 times a day, different flavors, and never gets tired of wet. The other 2, on the other hand, will get finicky from time to time, so I have to stop feeding them a couple of meals so they "miss it" then I go back and feed it again. They also don't eat nearly as much wet food as Gracie does. Gracie eats at least 6oz a day, while the other 2 eat 3oz a day and that is pushing. So that might be a factor there....

Coincidentally, Gracie has always eaten 2 wet meals her whole life, and she has Hyperthyroid, by the way.
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post #24 of 26
1/20/11 at 7:28pm
Quote:
Since you deleted my statement, leaving only part of it, I am pasting it here again, as that is my theory. The studies are related to the material of the packaging of the can itself, and not of the food, which is why cats eating wet food from a pouch were not affected with an increased risk of HT.
I was only talking about the New Zealand study.

Please, do read the articles I posted.
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post #25 of 26
1/20/11 at 9:32pm
It's possible I guess but I'm not convinced.
Cuddles who had hyperthryoidism when she was alive never ate canned food a day in her life.
If given the choice, I'd rather have a cat with Hyperthyroid than a cat with CRF and other related conditions which is why I will stay with canned food.
ETA: It is always a good idea to put the unused portion of canned food in a glass jar with a lid in the fridge so it will not sit and possibly be contaminated once the vaccum seal is broken.
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post #26 of 26
1/20/11 at 9:58pm
Correlation doesn't always equal causation. . .if you notice in the first bit quoted, hyperthyroid cats were more likely to have used a litterbox! OK, almost all cats use litterboxes, therefore almost all hyperthyroid cats have used litterboxes. Therefore, using a litterbox causes hyperthyroid? I don't think so. Same with canned food, I think. It's all very interesting but I really doubt it's much of an increase in risk, if there's really any causative link at all.

Interestingly, of my mom's old cats, the one who got hyperthyroid is the one who never ate canned food.
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