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| Veterinarian Deborah Shores |
Everyone
seems to be concerned about the rising levels of obesity-related diseases in
humans, but what about our four-legged friends?
Statistics show that 20-40% of dogs are overweight or obese, a number
that is quickly approaching that of human obesity levels in North America. Obesity
plagues pets with health problems similar to what is seen in people, from
arthritis to type-2 diabetes and skin disease. While there are many factors
that need correction, I’m going to focus on fats and their role in this growing
problem.
In
the wild, dogs and relatives of dogs such as wolves, coyotes and foxes, are
both carnivorous and omnivorous opportunists. Dogs in particular will scavenge
for nutrition more so than actively hunting. So, it would make sense that dogs
can readily digest many forms of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The question is: what are the right ratios of
these nutrients and are they out of balance?
In
the last 10 years, science has given us a lot of information about how dietary
fat intake can harm or benefit our health. Western (human) diets are plagued
with high levels of saturated fats and high-glycemic index carbohydrates such
as sugar. Our pet’s diets are similarly formulated, and often contain high
levels of omega-6 fatty acids (linoleic acids) from soybean or corn oil. I’ve even seen high-fructose corn syrup on a
dog food label! The ratio of omega-6 to
omega-3 fatty acids in our (human) diet is also the highest in the world, at
around 16:1, which is linked to cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.
It
is easy for us to be worried about saturated fats and omega-6s, labeling them as
“bad fats,” since they cause such problems in human health. In the veterinary
world, saturated fats don’t cause as many health problems as they do in humans.
Also, veterinary nutritionists don’t think that the ratio of fatty acids in the
diet is as important to our canine friends as the absolute amounts. However,
there is a growing problem with pet foods having too much omega-6 and not
enough omega-3 and omega-7 fatty acids.
One
of the main reasons that our pets are often deficient is that manufacturing and
shipping may alter the balance of fats by the time it reaches your pet’s mouth.
In some cases, pets eat exactly what their owners eat and let’s face it- most
Americans have less than ideal diets! These
deficiencies in your pet can lead to unwanted weight gain, skin problems and
other health issues.
How
can ‘shifting the balance’ help?
One
of the most astonishing research findings lately is how omega-7s help regulate
fat metabolism. A recent study showed that its
addition into the diet prevented rats from storing excess calories as fat. Specifically, omega-7s may have an important “signaling”
function that helps the body control weight and fat reserves at the cellular
level. This can translate to easier treatment and prevention of obesity.
What
can you do?
Even
if you decide to completely overhaul your pet’s eating habits, it is necessary
to supplement daily with beneficial omegas. Your best bet is to select a good
‘all-in-one” omega-3 and omega-7 supplement, such as from the sea buckthorn
berry. You can get a good variety of
omega-3s from fish oil, but the omega-7 component will be lacking.
Resources
Cao,
et al., Identification of a lipokine, a
lipid hormone linking adipose tissue to systemic metabolism., Cell, (2008),
Vol. 134: 933-944.
Roudebush,
P. Fatty Acid Supplementation: Does It
Really Work? ACVIM Proceedings,
(2006).
Simopolulos,
A. The importance of the ratio of
omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids. Biomed Pharmacother. (2002) Oct;
56(8): 365-79.
