Obesity and Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

Lecture notes of Rebecca A. Price MD based on the lecture given by Dr. Greco at the Maryland Veterinary Medicine Association meeting in Telluride, CO, March 2005.

• Feline Diabetes is similar to Type 2 DM in humans
• It is characterized by obesity, non-insulin dependence, amyloid deposition in the pancrease, and insulin resistance
• 1 in 200 cats has DM and the incidence is increasing
• Obesity and free choice feeding may predispose the cat to diabetes

OBESITY
• Causes increased resisten
• Reduces efficacy of PPRA pathway and adiponectin
• Impaired glucose metabolism
• Leptin abnormalities contribute to deranged insulin metabolism and appetite

• Resisten-
  • Bad since it reduces the effectiveness of adiponectin & leptin
  • Obesity results in increased levels of resisten
• Leptin-
  • A facilitator of glucose metabolism by affecting contributing systems
  • Levels are adversely affected by resisten so that glucose metabolism is adversely affected.
• Adiponectin-
  • Good since it helps muscle cells utilize glucose
  • Also found in significantly lower levels with DM but it increases with treatment of the DM.

• Leptin is highly correlated with BMI and SQ fat
• When leptin is working correctly, it acts indirectly on the brain to cause decreased food intake