Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Protein and phosphate diet effects on calcium balance in healthy
By Geddes, R F et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·Department of Clinical Science and Services, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: The Effect of Moderate Dietary Protein and Phosphate Restriction on Calcium-Phosphate Homeostasis in Healthy Older Cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how a special diet with less protein and phosphate affected healthy older cats. Fifty-four cats aged 9 years and older were fed either a test diet or a control diet for 18 months. The results showed that the test diet helped manage certain blood levels related to calcium and phosphate, but it didn't significantly change the risk of developing kidney disease. Overall, the diet was well tolerated and might be beneficial for maintaining kidney health in older cats.
People also search for: cat kidney disease diet · healthy older cat nutrition · protein phosphate diet for cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dietary phosphate and protein restriction decreases plasma PTH and FGF-23 concentrations and improves survival time in azotemic cats, but has not been examined in cats that are not azotemic. HYPOTHESIS: Feeding a moderately protein- and phosphate-restricted diet decreases PTH and FGF-23 in healthy older cats and thereby slows progression to azotemic CKD. ANIMALS: A total of 54 healthy, client-owned cats (≥ 9 years). METHODS: Prospective double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial. Cats were assigned to test diet (protein 76 g/Mcal and phosphate 1.6 g/Mcal) or control diet (protein 86 g/Mcal and phosphate 2.6 g/Mcal) and monitored for 18 months. Changes in variables over time and effect of diet were assessed by linear mixed models. RESULTS: A total of 26 cats ate test diet and 28 cats ate control diet. There was a significant effect of diet on urinary fractional excretion of phosphate (P = 0.045), plasma PTH (P = 0.005), and ionized calcium concentrations (P = 0.018), but not plasma phosphate, FGF-23, or creatinine concentrations. Plasma PTH concentrations did not significantly change in cats fed the test diet (P = 0.62) but increased over time in cats fed the control diet (P = 0.001). There was no significant treatment effect of the test diet on development of azotemic CKD (3 of 26 (12%) test versus 3 of 28 (11%) control, odds ratio 1.09 (95% CI 0.13-8.94), P = 0.92). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Feeding a moderately protein- and phosphate-restricted diet has effects on calcium-phosphate homeostasis in healthy older cats and is well tolerated. This might have an impact on renal function and could be useful in early chronic kidney disease.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27527663/