Is a calorie really always a calorie? Apparently not in cats
By Christie Keith
October 19, 2009
It’s become a tiresome message being used to debunk any weight loss program that suggests that carbohydrates aren’t the greatest things since, well, sliced bread for helping humans lose weight: “A calorie is a calorie,” the pundits smugly insist.
Not in cats, however. Via the Winn Feline Health Foundation, a report on a recent study examining the effect of various macronutrient levels on feline weight loss. Researchers concluded:
During the weight loss phase, the control group experienced a reduction in lean body mass, whereas the high-protein group did not. Overall, the high-protein diet allowed a higher energy intake to achieve weight loss than the control diet, thus reducing the severity of energy restriction required.
Which translated into plain English means: Cats can eat more calories and lose the same amount of weight if you restrict their carbohydrate and feed them more protein — and they’ll be losing fat, not muscle.
There are other feline studies, and quite a few human ones, that demonstrate the same thing. And I’m a living breathing walking-around example of the same principle, too. But it’s nice to have one more piece of evidence in the growing pile I drag out whenever the “calorie is a calorie” folks start in on controlled-carbohydrate diets.
I wonder if this is applicable to people.
I have done low carb diets before, and I always wound up losing weight, gaining muscle, and feeling a lot better. I think my ancestors were people who lived near the ice sheets of Northern Germany, living on caribou and the odd red deer, bison, or aurochs.
But cats aren’t people, of course, and we can’t generalize from cats to people.
Comment by retrieverman — October 19, 2009 @ 7:34 am
There are studies showing the same thing in people. I lost 187 pounds on a low carb diet. And I’ve kept it off now for more than 6 years, still eating low carb. I’m a true believer.
But I think most skeptics contend that the reason low carb diets work is that if you restrict a food group, you reduce calories, and also, that possibly controlling carbohydrate reduces appetite and cravings by reducing blood sugar swings.
And I’m sure that’s true. But a calorie is still not “just” a calorie — people, like cats, can lose the same amount of weight while eating MORE calories if they limit carbohydrate than if they don’t.
Or eat the same amount of calories and lose more weight.
A calorie really, truly is NOT just a calorie, and macronutrients do matter.
Best book on the science behind this is “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes, although most of the friends to whom I’ve lent or recommended it found it hard going.
Comment by Christie Keith — October 19, 2009 @ 7:46 am
Wonder if this is true for other carnivores besides cats.
Comment by YesBiscuit — October 19, 2009 @ 8:00 am
Probably would work in most carnivores, but especially in cats which are obligate carnivores
I struggled to get my ginormous cat to lose weight. Special low cal (high carb) food - nothing happened. Both cats now eat an almost pure protein wet food diet. Teddy lost 1.5 lbs in 6 months (from a high of 16.2 lbs) Ida lost about 3/4 of a lb and now weighs a perfect 10.2 lbs.
Their coats are shiny, they have more energy (not necessarily a good thing at 3 AM) and Ida hasn’t had a urinary track infection since we switched to wet.
I’ve been on a low carb diet for several years. The substitution of a protein bar for a bagel at breakfast took off 10 lbs. A year of pilates took off another 10 lbs and the weight is still dropping. I have no more than 10 additional pounds to go and I’m confident I’ll get there.
Fructose corn syrup must be the worst thing ever invented. Its in everything and I really believe that its largely responsible for the rising rates of diabetes we’re seeing in this country.
Comment by 2CatMom — October 19, 2009 @ 8:14 am
I have noticed this with my cat Simo, she can eat the same food and lose or gain weight. The seasons make a difference and if she is ill.
Comment by Abby — October 19, 2009 @ 8:14 am
My understanding is that weight regulation has a lot to do with the way the endocrine system is functioning. It’s not just calories; it’s whether a person is getting the nutrients that keep the “regulating” on track.
Comment by Barbara Saunders — October 19, 2009 @ 8:22 am
I was working at a veterinary clinic when the first CAtkins diets came on the market, and it was pretty amazing to see how cats that hadn’t been losing weight on low calorie high fiber (high carb) weightloss diets were starting to lose weight on the high protein low carb diets.
It’s nice to see that studies are continuing - hopefully, some day we’ll see the end of commercially marketed high carb diets for cats. It seems that the smaller pet food manufacturers have caught on to this a while ago, more and more grain-free diets are now available. I wonder why it’s taking the large corporations so long to catch on to this?
Comment by Ingrid King — October 19, 2009 @ 10:23 am
I haven’t had to even think about any of my cats’ weight for almost 7yrs. They self regulate on a raw diet. Very handy when you have more than a few cats at all stages of life.
Comment by straybaby — October 19, 2009 @ 10:40 am
Interesting but raw foodies find just that shift helps level out the weight.
I’ve got my nephew (a cat) on a new regime) he needs to be about 12 pounds…when I arrived he was 17 pounds and having trouble breathing.
Two months later he is 15 pounds and active and happier.
There are some food issues but now he is in training. During the first session he “got” what was happening and started purring.
Now his behavior dictates food delivery and we are moving the obsessiveness over food into something new and exciting.
In most cases, I find the problem is owner over feeding.
Comment by Ark Lady — October 19, 2009 @ 10:47 pm
We rawfeeders have known this for many years. Good to see the veternarian community finally getting it. Cats are carnivores!
Comment by Lori — October 20, 2009 @ 7:56 am
Ingrid King - why? Because REAL food costs $ and if you can serve roadkill, left over cooking oil from restaurants, diseased animals that you get for practically nothing from the slaughterhouse and cheap, govt subidized corn you can charge 2/3 of what the ‘good’ food costs and make a lot more profit.
And unfortunately, many people still look for the cheapest thing to feed their pets.
Comment by 2CatMom — October 20, 2009 @ 1:57 pm