Source: Health News Florida
A study from The Ohio State University suggests overweight cats could help us understand weight loss in humans. With six in 10 U.S. cats overweight, researchers placed a group of obese cats on a calorie-restricted diet for 12 weeks, monitoring changes in their gut microbiome through stool samples. They discovered a rise in a short-chain fatty acid known to regulate appetite, reduce fat, and help protect against obesity and diabetes in other mammals.
This change was accompanied by an increase in specific gut bacteria linked to weight loss. The findings parallel similar microbiome shifts seen in humans during dieting, hinting that targeted probiotics or microbiome therapies might one day aid weight control in people. While the research highlights potential health breakthroughs, it also underscores that cats don’t voluntarily choose to diet—any insistence on extra treats “for science” is likely just feline manipulation rather than scientific necessity.