Feline Hyperthyroidism and Cat Food: another reason to go grain-free

This was scary, especially given that the Hill's prescription hyperthyroid food contains NO animal-based protein!

Auntie Crazy posted this on the CatCentric FB page, and I thought it was important enough to share.
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Studies are beginning to identify the ingredients in commercial pet foods responsible for the 19% (and still rising) increase in hyperthyroidism cases over the last five years. No surprise the cause is plant-based, as cats are not herbivores and shouldn't be eating plants.

"They learned that flavonoids—plant proteins found in commercially available cat food—activate cultured feline thyroid cells as effectively as a cat’s normal thyroid-stimulating hormone. This suggests that flavonoids may interfere with normal thyroid function and be a contributing factor in the development of feline hyperthyroidism."

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bold, my emphasis

http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/blog/category/cat/study-update.html

This is so sad. People are paying good money trying to help their cats and aren't getting squat for it.

peaches08 said:

This is so sad. People are paying good money trying to help their cats and aren't getting squat for it

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That isn't yet known. Bear in mind nothing has yet been definitively determined with regards to flavonoids and hyperthyroidism  (my added bold):

They learned that flavonoids—plant proteins found in commercially available cat food—activate cultured feline thyroid cells as effectively as a cat’s normal thyroid-stimulating hormone. This suggests that flavonoids may interfere with normal thyroid function and be a contributing factor in the development of feline hyperthyroidism. Researchers have to confirm these results by repeating the necessary experiments.

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That thyroid cells are activated in a petri dish doesn't necessarily mean the ingredient ingested in a food will overstimulate the thyroid. The research is very preliminary. Certainly worth keeping an eye on though.