Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Oxidative stress and immune changes in cats with diabetes and diet
By Webb, Craig B. & Falkowski, Lauren·Published in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery·2009·Clinical Sciences Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA, United States·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Oxidative stress and innate immunity in feline patients with diabetes mellitus: The role of nutrition
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of diabetic cats was studied to see if their diet could help reduce oxidative stress, which is an imbalance that can harm cells. The cats were fed a special diet designed for diabetic cats for 8 weeks. While the diet improved some antioxidant levels, it didn't change other measures of oxidative stress or immune function. The diabetic cats were older and heavier than the healthy cats, which might have affected the results. This suggests that while dietary changes can help, there may still be a need for additional antioxidant support for diabetic cats.
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Abstract
This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that oxidative stress is increased and neutrophil function is decreased in cats with diabetes mellitus (DM). Measures of oxidative stress and neutrophil function were evaluated in 20 control and 15 diabetic cats. Cats were then fed a diet designed specifically for feline diabetics (Purina DM Dietetic Management Feline Formula) for 8 weeks, after which all assays were repeated. Cats with DM had significantly less plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) than control cats, consistent with a greater degree of oxidative stress in the DM group. Following 8 weeks of consuming a diabetes-specific diet glutathione peroxidase, an antioxidant enzyme increased significantly in both groups. Other parameters of oxidative stress, as well as neutrophil function, were similar between groups and did not change following dietary intervention. The DM cats were significantly older and heavier than the control cats, which may have contributed to differences in parameters of oxidative stress and levels of antioxidant enzymes between these groups, but the decreased level of SOD enzyme in the diabetic group would appear to support the continued development of targeted antioxidant supplementation for this cats with this disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2008.07.004