A diet lower in digestible carbohydrate results in lower postprandial glucose concentrations compared with a traditional canine diabetes diet and an adult maintenance diet in healthy dogs

K.F. Elliott, J.S. Rand, L.M. Fleeman, J.M. Morton, A.L. Litster, V.C. Biourge, P.J. Markwell

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of three diets with varying macronutrient and fibre contents on postprandial plasma glucose, triglyceride, free fatty acid, and insulin concentrations over a 12 h period in 12 healthy neutered lean dogs. Each diet was fed to each dog for 3 weeks in a three-period cross-over study. Plasma analyte concentrations were measured prior to and after a meal at the end of the third week of each period. Postprandial glucose concentrations for the moderate carbohydrate and fibre diet were 0.4-0.7 mmol/L (8-12 mg/dL) lower than for both higher carbohydrate diets (p≤0.02). Postprandial glucose, insulin, and triglyceride concentrations in some dogs did not return to baseline by 12 h after feeding of each of the three diets. These results indicate that the moderate carbohydrate and fibre diet warrants evaluation in diabetic dogs. Variables should be measured over at least 12 h after feeding to fully evaluate postprandial dietary effects on these analytes.