− | Dietary starches are readily broken down into their monosaccharide constitutes in both dogs and cats and can contribute to a rise in post-prandial blood glucose concentrations<ref name="Hewson">Hewson-Hughes AK, et al. The effect of dietary starch level on postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations in cats and dogs. Br J Nutr 2011;106:S105-S109.</ref>. Once absorbed, the monosaccharide sugar glucose is available for immediate use by brain and other tissues, while [[Amino Acids Overview - Nutrition|gluconeogenic amino acids]] from [[Protein - Nutrition|protein]] must first be converted to glucose via hepatic gluconeogenesis. '''Starch is not an essential dietary nutrient, but is required for production of dry pet foods'''. | + | Dietary starches are readily broken down into their monosaccharide constitutes in both dogs and cats and can contribute to a rise in post-prandial blood glucose concentrations<ref name="Hewson">Hewson-Hughes AK, et al. The effect of dietary starch level on postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations in cats and dogs. Br J Nutr 2011;106:S105-S109.</ref>. Once absorbed, the monosaccharide sugar glucose is available for immediate use by brain and other tissues, while [[Amino Acids Overview - Nutrition|gluconeogenic amino acids]] from [[Protein - Nutrition|protein]] must first be converted to glucose via hepatic gluconeogenesis. '''Starch is not an [[Nutrition Glossary#Essential Nutrients|essential dietary nutrient]], but is required for production of dry pet foods'''. |