Cats Lack Hormone Response to Glucose

The Winn Feline Foundation released a study that showed that cats lack a glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) response to glucose. GIP is a hormone secreted from the intestine upon ingestion of glucose or nutrients to stimulate insulin secretion from pancreatic cells. In other words, a hormone that helps metabolize glucose. They concluded, that this lack of GIP response makes the cat relatively glucose intolerant which might lead to inappropriate glycemic control in cats fed a diet high in carbohydrates.

This study proves, yet once again, that cats should have little to no carbs in their diets. A low carbohydrate feline diet is less likely to produce diabetes in a cat and if diabetes does occur, a low carbohydrate diet along with meds may be essential for glucose control in most cats.

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