Just an illustration that hypotheses don't always pan out.  The Women's
Health Initiative of the National Institutes of Health recently released
findings from a huge study on human women, about 49,000 ranging from ages
50 to 79 over a space of 8 years, and there were a number of startling
things that smaller studies had suggested which just didn't show up in
study.  One of these was the failure to confirm the common belief that
carbohydrates in the diet lead to higher insulin levels, higher blood
glucose levels and more diabetes.  Now, that is humans (and only older
human women specifically), and the subject here is ferrets, but the
hypothesis that carbohydrates in the diet leads to insulinoma is based
on a series of hypotheses starting with diabetes studies in cats, so to
really know if the concept will pan out means that there is a need for
a lot of open minded, careful study.  That doesn't mean that going with
a lower carbohydrate diet is wrong, just that it *might* not have one of
the benefits hoped for, and that it is always important to differentiate
between what has been proven and what is hypothetical to avoid being hurt
by setting one's hopes too strongly on something that may not pan out.
The best article I have ever read on the hypothesis for ferrets is from
its originator -- who was very forthright about what is unknown.  Here
are the author and the work to seek:
Dr Mark Finkler, JEMM&S, volume 2.2, Dec 2004
 
-- Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List co-moderator
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[Posted in FML issue 5147]