Animal nutrition
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Animal nutrition focuses on the dietary nutrients needs of
Constituents of diet
Macronutrients (excluding fiber and water) provide structural material (amino acids from which proteins are built, and lipids from which cell membranes and some signaling molecules are built) and energy. Some of the structural material can be used to generate energy internally,[1] though the net energy depends on such factors as absorption and digestive effort, which vary substantially from instance to instance. Vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water do not provide energy, but are required for other reasons. A third class dietary material, fiber (i.e., non-digestible material such as cellulose), seems also to be required, for both mechanical and biochemical reasons, though the exact reasons remain unclear.
Molecules of carbohydrates and fats consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. Carbohydrates range from simple
Other dietary substances found in plant foods (
Dietary fibre is a carbohydrate (polysaccharide or oligosaccharide) that is incompletely absorbed in some animals.
Protein
Proteins are the basis of many animal body structures (e.g. muscles, skin, and hair). They also form the enzymes which control chemical reactions throughout the body. Each molecule is composed of
A few amino acids from protein can be converted into glucose and used for fuel through a process called gluconeogenesis; this is done in quantity only during starvation.
Minerals
Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, other than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen that are present in nearly all organic molecules. The term "mineral" is archaic, since the intent is to describe simply the less common elements in the diet.
Many elements are essential in relative quantity; they are usually called "bulk minerals". Some are structural, but many play a role as electrolytes.[2] These include:
- Calcium, a common electrolyte, but also needed structurally (for muscle and digestive system health, bones, some forms neutralizes acidity, may help clear toxins, and provide signaling ions for nerve and membrane functions)
- Chlorine as chloride ions; very common electrolyte
- Magnesium, required for processing ATP and related reactions (builds bone, causes strong peristalsis, increases flexibility, increases alkalinity)
- Phosphorus, required component of bones; essential for energy processing[3]
- Potassium, a very common electrolyte (heart and nerve health)
- Sodium, a very common electrolyte
- Sulfur for three amino acids and therefore many proteins (skin, hair, nails, liver, and pancreas)
Many elements are required in trace amounts, usually because they play a
Vitamins
Vitamin deficiencies may result in disease conditions. Excess of some vitamins is also dangerous to health (notably vitamin A), and animal nutrition researchers have managed to establish safe levels for some common companion animals.[5] Deficiency or excess of minerals can also have serious health consequences.
ASH Though not a nutrient as such, an entry for ash is sometimes found on nutrition labels, especially for pet food. This entry measures the weight of inorganic material left over after the food is burned for two hours at 600 °C. Thus, it does not include water, fibre, and nutrients that provide calories, but it does include some nutrients, such as minerals [6]
Too much ash may contribute to
Intestinal bacterial flora
Animal
See also
References
- ISBN 0-7167-4684-0.
- ISBN 1-57259-153-6.
- ISBN 0-444-89307-5.
- ISBN 0-935702-73-3.
- ^ Morris PJ, Salt C, Raila J, Brenten T, Kohn B, Schweigert FJ, Zentek J. Safety evaluation of vitamin A in growing dogs. British Journal of Nutrition. 2012; 108(10):1800-1809.
- ^ Purina; The Facts About Dietary Ash Archived July 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine; last checked 2009-07-22
- ^ R. Glenn Brown; Low ash cat foods: The role of magnesium in feline nutrition; Canadian Veterinary Journal 1989 January 30(1): 73–79; last checked 2009-07-22