Canned food increases the risk of Hyperthyroidism

carolina · Jan 19, 2011

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:

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

sharky · Jan 19, 2011

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

carolina · Jan 19, 2011

Originally Posted by sharky

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?

sharky · Jan 19, 2011

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

ducman69 · Jan 19, 2011

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.

carolina · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by Ducman69

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

rad65 · Jan 20, 2011

Those results could be misleading based on the number of VALID cases they examined. From the link:

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.

carolina · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by rad65

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?

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:

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.

farleyv · Jan 20, 2011

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!

violet · Jan 20, 2011

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

motoko9 · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by Violet

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.

strange_wings · Jan 20, 2011

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?

ducman69 · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by Carolina

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.

carolina · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by strange_wings

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.

carolina · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by Ducman69

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...

carolina · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by Ducman69

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.

my4llma · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by Carolina

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.

carolina · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by My4LLMA

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...

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

sharky · Jan 20, 2011

Originally Posted by strange_wings

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

violet · Jan 20, 2011

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

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.

Canned food increases the risk of Hyperthyroidism

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