Weight reduction

efficacy

Obesity
Obesity is defined as an excessive accummulation of fat tissue in the body. A commonly used lower limit for overweight is a body weight of more than 15% above the ideal weight. About 30% of the cats has overweight, while this percentage is still increasing (German, 2006). In various animal species it has been shown that overweight reduces life span and this most likely holds fot the cat also. Overweight is an important risk factor for the development of insulin resistence and diabetes mellitus in the cat (Scarlett and Donoghue, 1988; Nelson et al., 1990). In cats, overweight also is associated with osteoarthritis, skin disorders (Scarlett and Donoghue, 1988) and lower urinary tract disease (Osborne et al., 1996). Probably, in cats the risks of cardiorespiratory disorders and neoplasia are enhanced by overweight (German, 2006).

Obesity may be caused by an endocrine disorder, but the main cause is a positive energy balance, that is the situation in which for longer periods of time the energy intake with the diet is greater than energy expenditure by the body. This means that continuous availability of food and little physical exercise, conditions especially being associated with in-door life, can induce obesity. Castration or sterilization strongly facilitates the development of obesity. After castration, basal metabolism and spontaneous physical activity decline, leading to a fall in energy expenditure by the body (Root et al., 1996). Moreover, appetite increases after castration (Flynn et al., 1996). The combination of changes as induced by castration will promote a positive enegy balance.

The treatment of obesity consists of creating a negative energy balance. This implies restriction of food intake and/or stimulation of an increase in physical activity. The supply of a restricted amount of food energy is easier when using SANIMED Weight Reduction. This diet has a low energy value so that relatively high amounts of food can be ingested without raising energy intake too much. The low energy density is due to a low content of fat and a high content of crude fiber in the form of cellulose. SANIMED Weight Reduction thus has a high filling value which contributes to the induction of satiety.

During energy restriction, the amount of muscle in cats inevitably decreases (German et al., 2008), but this effect is counteracted by a high protein content (Hoenig et al., 2007; Vasconcellos et al., 2009) as is present in SANIMED Weight Reduction. In addition, SANIMED Weight Reduction is enriched with L-carnitine, which specifically stimulates fatty acid oxidation (Bremer, 1983), inducing a sparing effect on the muscle mass (German, 2006). The administration of L-carnitine during energy restriction accelerates weight loss in cats (Center et al., 2000). The high protein level in SANIMED Weight Reduction also stimulates weight loss and contributes to the sensation of satiety (Vasconcellos et al., 2009).

The proposed feeding schedules are related to the magnitude of overweight. At an overweight of 15-30%, the energy restriction is 30% and at an overweight of more than 30% the restriction is 40%. The feeding schedules will not induce hepatic lipidosis (Szabo et al., 2003) and the expected weight loss is up to 1% per week (German et al., 2008).

Weight control
Weight loss will cause a lowering of basal metabolism in the cat (Villaverde et al., 2008). This means that an amount of ingested food, that is identical to that previous to weight loss, will lead to obesity in the cat with an accelerated speed. SANIMED Weight Reduction partly counteracts this effect because the high protein intake during weight loss mediates a smaller decrease in the maintenance energy requirement after weight loss (Vasconcellos et al., 2009). SANIMED Weight Reduction can also be used for weight control. It is a complete food and may be supplied for an indefinite period. With the use of an adjusted feeding schedule, the low energy value of the diet makes it suitable for weight control in the longer term.

Osteoarthritis
Overweight is an important risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis in the cat (Scarlett and Donoghue, 1988). It is likely that weight loss causes relief of the symptoms of osteoarthritis. To support this effect, SANIMED Weight Reduction is fortified with salmon oil and gelatin hydrolysate. The omega-3 fatty acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), that is present in salmon oil, reduces pain through its anti-inflammatory activity and it inhibits the breakdown of the extracellular cartilage matrix. Gelatin hydrolysate stimulates the synthesis of the cartilage matrix and also inhibits the degradation. Salmon oil and gelatin hydrolysate also are the effective components of SANIMED Anti-Osteoarthritis for dogs.

Diabetes mellitus
SANIMED Weight Reduction is rich in crude fiber and thus can be used for cats with diabetes mellitus without or with obesity. A high intake of crude fiber has multiple positive effects on cats with diabetes mellitus. The required dose of insulin diminishes, the blood glucose level falls and so does the concentration of glycosylated hemoglobin (Zicker et al., 2000).

Hyperlipemia
In the cat, hyperlipemia usually is caused by a retarded breakdown of the triacylglycerols in the circulating chylomicrons. A reduced fat intake can control the hyperlipemia. Because of its relatively low fat content, SANIMED Weight Reduction is also suitable for cats with hyperlipemia.

Colitis and constipation
Colitis may be associated with reduced peristaltic contractions of the colon. This implies that toxic products of fermentation are excreted in a retarded fashion which contributes to the maintenance of the colitis. The high level of crude fiber in SANIMED Weight Reduction stimulates peristaltic contractions and promotes the passage of digesta through the colon. The anti-inflammatory effect of salmon oil in the diet has a positive effect on the clinical condition. Given the induction of peristaltic gut movement, SANIMED Weight Reduction can also be used in the management of constipation.

Urinary pH
The negative base excess is identical for SANIMED Weight Reduction in dry and moist form. Thus, the urinary pH is identical for the three Weight Reduction foods; it is on average 6.4. At this pH struvite dissolves or does not form. This means that SANIMED Weight Reduction has anti-struvite activity.