Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How protein in diet affects weight loss and maintenance in obese cats
By Vasconcellos, Ricardo S et al.·Published in The Journal of nutrition·2009·Universidade Estadual Paulista, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Protein intake during weight loss influences the energy required for weight loss and maintenance in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of obese cats was put on two different diets to see how protein levels affected their weight loss and maintenance. One group received a lower protein diet while the other had a higher protein diet. The cats on the higher protein diet lost weight without losing lean muscle, which is important for their overall health. After reaching their target weight, both groups needed different amounts of energy to maintain their weight, with the higher protein group needing more energy over time. This suggests that feeding cats a higher protein diet can help them lose weight more effectively and maintain it better in the long run.
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Abstract
The effects of 2 diets with different protein contents on weight loss and subsequent maintenance was assessed in obese cats. The control group [Co; n = 8; body condition score (BCS) = 8.6 +/- 0.2] received a diet containing 21.4 g crude protein (CP)/MJ of metabolizable energy and the high-protein group (HP; n = 7; BCS = 8.6 +/- 0.2) received a diet containing 28.4 g CP/MJ until the cats achieved a 20% controlled weight loss (0.92 +/- 0.2%/wk). After the weight loss, the cats were all fed a diet containing 28.0 g CP/MJ at an amount sufficient to maintain a constant body weight (MAIN) for 120 d. During weight loss, there was a reduction of lean mass in Co (P < 0.01) but not in HP cats and a reduction in leptinemia in both groups (P < 0.01). Energy intake per kilogram of metabolic weight (kg(-0.40)) to maintain the same rate of weight loss was lower (P < 0.04) in the Co (344 +/- 15.9 kJ x kg(-0.40) x d(-1)) than in the HP group (377 +/- 12.4 kJ. x kg(-0.40) x d(-1)). During the first 40 d of MAIN, the energy requirement for weight maintenance was 398.7 +/- 9.7 kJ.kg(-0.40) x d(-1) for both groups, corresponding to 73% of the NRC recommendation. The required energy gradually increased in both groups (P < 0.05) but at a faster rate in HP; therefore, the energy consumption during the last 40 d of the MAIN was higher (P < 0.001) for the HP cats (533.8 +/- 7.4 kJ x kg(-0.40) x d(-1)) than for the control cats (462.3 +/- 9.6 kJ x kg(-0.40) x d(-1)). These findings suggest that HP diets allow a higher energy intake to weight loss in cats, reducing the intensity of energy restriction. Protein intake also seemed to have long-term effects so that weight maintenance required more energy after weight loss.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19261729/