Rapid Weight Loss with a High-Protein Low-Energy Diet Allows the Recovery of Ideal Body Composition and Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Dogs1,2

Blanchard et al seek to test the ability of a low-energy and high protein: energy-ratio diet to enable a rapid weight loss while preserving the lean body mass in dogs and to evaluate the influence of the obesity treatment on insulin sensitivity and two insulin resistance-related factors, tumor-necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Results of their study show that the high protein:energy-ratio, low-energy, high-fiber L-carnitine-enriched diet used allowed a very rapid weight loss in obese dogs, without alteration in body composition compared to their ideal state. It also suggested that the treatment of obesity in dogs could be a factor in normalizing levels of insulin resistance.