The health promoting effects of including whole grains in the diet of humans are well known. However, the capacity to lower blood glucose and lipids seems to differ between different whole grains, with oats and rye showing beneficial effects more frequently than wheat. In dogs these effects are less studied, but could be of importance given the increasing problems with overweight and obesity in companion dogs. In this study, diets with whole grains of rye, oats or wheat were fed for 4 wk each to 18 privately-owned dogs. Blood response of glucose, lipids (cholesterol and triglycerids [TAG]) and three hormones related to metabolism (insulin, glucagon and glucagon-like peptide 1 [GLP-1]) were measured in blood samples collected from the dogs both in the fasted state and repeatedly during four hours following a meal. The diet with oats resulted in higher concentration of GLP-1, which regulates the metabolism, but had less favorable effects on blood glucose and lipid levels, compared to the diet with wheat. The fasting insulin concentration was highest following the rye diet. These results imply that, in dogs, whole rye or oats may not be favorable compared with whole wheat.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.