Potential Problems of High Protein, Low Carbohydrate Diets

13. Potential Problems of High Protein, Low Carbohydrate Diets

The question about the long-term effect of high protein diets on renal function has been raised. However, it should be stressed that there is no indication that the long term feeding of diets high in protein causes a deterioration of kidney function in normal cats or in cats with early kidney disease (Finco et al., 1998). Obviously, high protein diets are contraindicated for cats with uremia, and nephropathy is a relatively common finding in diabetic cats (Nelson, 2005). To the author’s knowledge, however, no study has investigated this question in detail.

In cases where impaired renal function and azotemia occur concurrently in diabetic cats, the use of diets with reduced amounts of protein may be warranted to minimize the risk of a uremic crisis. In these cases, one may envisage the combination of such a diet with drugs like acarbose, which limits gastrointestinal carbohydrate absorption. However, hard data to support this idea are lacking.

In our experience, most cats readily accept the currently available diets that are high in protein and low in carbohydrate. Cats like these diets, and many cats are rather polyphagic in the initial stages of treatment. (© Stéphanie Vidal).

Despite a clear improvement in the management of diabetic cats since the introduction of diets high in protein and low in carbohydrate, many questions remain to be answered.

• Is protein or carbohydrate the key factor, i.e., is it the high protein or the low carbohydrate content that is most important?
• Do some particular amino acids such as arginine, have beneficial effects? Hence, would different sources of protein play a role (Leray et al., 2006)?
• What are the long term consequences of feeding these diets for the risk of diabetic ketosis or diabetic nephropathy? At present, there is no indication that the long term feeding of diets high in protein leads to a deterioration of kidney function in normal cats or in cats with early kidney disease (Finco et al., 1998).
• What are the long term consequences of feeding high protein diets on body weight and body composition?