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A high-carbohydrate kibble diet and a low-carbohydrate raw meat-based diet have markedly different effects on dogs' energy metabolism, according to a new study carried out by the DogRisk research group at the University of Helsinki in The Veterinary Journal.

In the study, 46 Staffordshire Bull Terriers were fed either kibble or a raw food diet for an average of 4.5 months. The kibble diet was rich in non-fiber carbohydrates, while the raw food diet was high in fat and contained no non-fiber carbohydrates. Researchers measured several biomarkers before and after the trial, including blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol, triglycerides, ketone bodies, and bodyweight.

Significant key findings of the study are:

• Dogs on the kibble diet showed increased long-term blood sugar, blood lipids, and bodyweight.
• Dogs on the raw food diet showed decreased blood sugar, blood lipids, and glucagon levels.
• Both groups had increased ketone bodies, but levels were significantly higher in the raw food group, indicating a greater reliance on fat for energy.
• The raw food group also showed a decrease in the triglyceride-glucose index, a marker of insulin resistance previously used only in human studies.

"Interestingly, the kibble diet was associated with changes often linked to adverse metabolic health, while the raw food diet promoted metabolic responses generally considered favorable," said Dr. Sarah Holm, DVM and Ph.D., the study's lead researcher from the DogRisk research group at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki. "More research is needed to understand the long-term health implications of these two feeding strategies."

Dr. Anna Hielm-Björkman, DVM and docent, who leads the DogRisk group, added, "This is a great example of One Health research. Our findings reflect similar, and sometimes controversial, human studies suggesting that fat-rich diets actually lower cholesterol and triglycerides, while carbohydrate-rich diets raise blood lipids and long-term blood sugar—a known precursor to type 2 diabetes in humans."

The study highlights the potential of using dogs as models for human metabolic research and opens the door for further investigation into how diet affects health across species.