Cats And Carbohydrates - Review Article - 2017 Veterinary Sciences Journal

[yeva2292]

I found this review article while browsing NCBI and it was an incredibly interesting read. It summarizes what is currently known in the scientific community regarding cats and carbohydrate in their diet.

Verbrugghe A and Hesta M. 2017. Cats and Carbohydrates: The Carnivore Fantasy? vet Sci 4(4) doi: 10.3390/vetsci4040055.

It says open access, but if the link doesn't work, let me know and I'll try posting the article on google docs.

 

[Saf]

Very typical of research I've previously read. It's probably funded by the Pet Food Industry and suprise, surprise it concludes the poor quality, dessicated, carbohydrate laden junk they turn out isn't in anyway responsible for the multitude of health problems it's causing in catsz and raw food is filled with worms and diseases etc.etc. blah, blah, blah. There's shockingly poor standards in pet food research that wouldn't be allowed in the human world of double blind, controlled randomised peer reviewed studies. Basically, they decide on the desired outcome and seek out the data to fit in with it.

 

[Vega's Dad]

I'd say it's well researched and written. It said that low carbohydrate was preferred and high carbohydrate might linked to diabetes etc.
Both sides of raw feeding was discussion in one paragraph, and it did say "these concerns (about raw feeding) are often based on isolated case reports".
Some biochemistry seems a little off topic...
Generally speaking, it's an unbiased review.

 

[yeva2292]

I'd say it's well researched and written. It said that low carbohydrate was preferred and high carbohydrate might linked to diabetes etc.
Both sides of raw feeding was discussion in one paragraph, and it did say "these concerns (about raw feeding) are often based on isolated case reports".
Some biochemistry seems a little off topic...
Generally speaking, it's an unbiased review.

I agree. I really liked that it discussed the different enzymes present in the cat's digestive system, how these differ from humans and dogs, and how they respond differently to carbohydrates, etc. I think this review best wrapped up that cat digestive systems are in fact different from humans/dogs and that they respond differently to the different sources of energy (protein, fat, carbohydrates). It included a lot of interesting citations that I plan to read.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

Cats possess only a small capacity for starch digestion by endogenous intestinal enzymes

~ So ... I shall ask those attending a question. My cats like a little dry kibble that is 35% protein - mostly I buy grain free . I don't feed any corn/soy ingredients. It's about 20 - 30 % of their diet .
Is this too much carbs for kitty ?

 

[6catsmom]

Just saw this somewhere else. A response from a holistic vet
Results of This Study Are Appalling, Be Careful

 

[Azazel]

Just saw this somewhere else. A response from a holistic vet
Results of This Study Are Appalling, Be Careful

As much as I doubt the trustworthiness of Mercola, I still respect Dr. Karen Becker and many of the points she makes here are valid. I too was confused by the title of the article and it is good to point out that one of the authors has ties to Royal Canin.

 

[Kieka]

I skimmed the article and while it does have some good points the whole Royal Canin tie in makes me leery. I tend to go right to the bottom of those types of articles to check for Bias Statements and even when someone says they don't have a bias, just having to make that because of a possible conflict of interest is a little deceptive. It felt very much like it was trying to say that while carbs aren't the best for cats they also aren't the worst.

 

[Azazel]

Generally speaking, it's an unbiased review.

There is really no such thing.

 

[Vega's Dad]

There is really no such thing.

I can see that.

 

[Saf]

I had two CKD cats who attended a research clinic financed by Royal Canin and it became more and more obvious to me over time that the whole thing was agenda driven. The vets running it were PHd students and it seemed like the deal to me was: We finance your PHd and in return your research clears Royal Canine food, dry food in particular, of any blame in contributing to CKD in cats and you must also overstate the benefits of Royal Canin Renal food.

There's very little good quality research into pet food because all the big money comes from the Pet Food companies and if you want a career in research you have to stay on their side. I only respect research from people unattached to the pet food industry and who are prepared to criticize it, and from people who've seen what poor quality food has done to their cats.

On the issue of feline diabetes, those whose cats have suffered from it are very clear about where the blame and solution lies:

Nutrition | Diabetic Cat Care

 

[jinxybean]

I found the research paper to be informative. Nowhere in the paper did I get a sense of selling pet food; the focus was about measuring digestive and metabolic responses to dietary carbohydrates. There is no need for a "double-blind" study when it comes this type of experimental design because there is no psychological or behavioral component to control. It would make sense if this were an experiment to determine which food a cat prefers, but blinding/masking is not necessary when simply measuring digestion and serum levels in subject animals.

This research paper had to first receive approval from an academic editor before being submitted to and published by Veterinary Sciences - a peer-reviewed journal.

Dr. Jacquie S. Rand is the academic editor for this research paper and not beholden to Royal Canin. She is in the right field to critique the focus and methodology of this research.

From Linkedin:
Emeritus Professor Jacquie Rand is an internationally recognized research leader in feline diabetes, obesity and nutrition research. Her research has been successfully translated from laboratory to practical use in veterinary clinics worldwide. Key contributions made from Professor Rand’s research relating to feline diabetes have been implemented worldwide and are the considered as the greatest single advance in management of feline diabetes in over 25 years.

More recently, in 2012, Professor Rand founded the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation after years of research into animal welfare and health. Since then, the organization has undertaken many projects relating to improving the welfare of animals with the main focus being on reducing current Euthanasia rates of cats and dogs through Australian animal shelters.

During her extensive career Professor Rand has successfully authored over 112 journal articles, 117 abstracts, and 42 book chapters in international texts with 3 of her publications have won Excellence Awards from the Society of Comparative Endocrinology. Her continued effort has introduced fundamental change to the lives of many animals worldwide.
https://au.linkedin.com/in/jacquie-rand-479a1444

 

[Azazel]

I found the research paper to be informative. Nowhere in the paper did I get a sense of selling pet food; the focus was about measuring digestive and metabolic responses to dietary carbohydrates. There is no need for a "double-blind" study when it comes this type of experimental design because there is no psychological or behavioral component to control. It would make sense if this were an experiment to determine which food a cat prefers, but blinding/masking is not necessary when simply measuring digestion and serum levels in subject animals.

There actually is no “experimental design” in this article (based on my skim, I didn’t do a thorough reading). In either case, this phrase means that there is random assignment and at least one treatment group. Also, I believe the researchers are interested in determining whether carbs play a role in (or “cause”) diabetes. You cannot make causal claims without running a true experiment with random assignment. So an experiment actually would be very relevant to these reseachers’ aims.

This research paper had to first receive approval from an academic editor before being submitted to and published by Veterinary Sciences - a peer-reviewed journal.

Dr. Jacquie S. Rand is the academic editor for this research paper and not beholden to Royal Canin. She is in the right field to critique the focus and methodology of this research.

From Linkedin:
Emeritus Professor Jacquie Rand is an internationally recognized research leader in feline diabetes, obesity and nutrition research. Her research has been successfully translated from laboratory to practical use in veterinary clinics worldwide. Key contributions made from Professor Rand’s research relating to feline diabetes have been implemented worldwide and are the considered as the greatest single advance in management of feline diabetes in over 25 years.

More recently, in 2012, Professor Rand founded the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation after years of research into animal welfare and health. Since then, the organization has undertaken many projects relating to improving the welfare of animals with the main focus being on reducing current Euthanasia rates of cats and dogs through Australian animal shelters.

During her extensive career Professor Rand has successfully authored over 112 journal articles, 117 abstracts, and 42 book chapters in international texts with 3 of her publications have won Excellence Awards from the Society of Comparative Endocrinology. Her continued effort has introduced fundamental change to the lives of many animals worldwide.
https://au.linkedin.com/in/jacquie-rand-479a1444

Oh how I wish that everything published in peer review journals was good quality, but it would be mistaken to assume that just because something has gone through peer review it is high quality or immune to bias. Also, papers by authors with corporate affiliations can and will get published in academic journals. These journals just require that these affiliations be reported. And indeed they are reported in this paper.

Editors also don’t usually do thorough reviews of manuscripts. This task is left to peer reviewers.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ I learn something new every time I visit ...`` ´´