Is a high protein diet beneficial for cats with diabetes?
Indications are that a high protein diet is an effective tool among many in helping to manage diabetes in cats (Rand et al., 2004). The rationale for such a statement rests with the basic metabolism of the cat. Since the cat is adapted so well to a high protein diet, it has an enhanced ability to produce glucose by converting the amino acids from protein into glucose through the process known as gluconeogenesis. This process of producing glucose from the ground up, so to speak, runs at a relatively constant rate pushing glucose into the circulation for its subsequent use by other body cells. This is in contrast to the dramatic spikes in glucose that accompany a high carbohydrate meal (often called a glycemic response). The amount of insulin that is required to clear the glucose from the circulation is much greater after the carbohydrate meal than for that of the high protein meal. Insulin is the key to controlling glucose in the animal. Further, there is some evidence in other species
