Building a Balanced Diet: Fats & Fatty Acids

[DogGoneGood]

Chapter Four:
Fats & Fatty Acids:

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Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids are essential fatty acids, meaning the body can not produce them on its own and must receive them through an outside food source.

Dietary fats, mainly derived from animal fats and the seed oils of various plants, provide the most concentrated sources of energy in the diet.

Essential fatty acids are necessary to keep your dogs skin and coat healthy. Puppies fed ultralow-fat diets develop dry, coarse hair and skin lesions that become increasingly vulnerable to infections. Deficiencies in the so-called “omega-3” family of essential fatty acids may be associated with vision problems and impaired learning ability. Another family of essential fatty acids called “omega-6” has been shown to have important physiologic effects in the body. 6

According to Jean Hofve, DVM, pet nutrition expert and holistic veterinarian, “We are seeing the same response in dogs and cats as we are in humans. A lack of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet along with excess pro-inflammatory omega-6’s, results in an imbalance in the omega-3/omega-6 ratio. This dietary imbalance contributes to chronic

inflammation in these animals, which is linked to plethora issues.” Typically, a diet of commercial pet food does not provide adequate daily quantities of the important omega-3 fatty acids. 7

Essential Fatty Acids are required for the transportation and metabolism of both cholesterol and triglycerides. They are required for normal brain development and brain function. They are required in visual function (retina), brain and nerve function (synapses), and adrenal functions. They are required in the structure of the membranes that surround each cell in our body. They stimulate metabolism, increase metabolic rate, increase oxygen uptake, and increase energy production. 8

Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

Omega-3 fatty acids, also known as “polyunsaturated fatty acids” (PUFAs), play a crucial role in brain function, as well as normal growth development.

There are three major types of omega-3 fatty acids that are ingested in foods and used by the body: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Once eaten, the body converts ALA to EPA and DHA, the two types of omega-3 fatty acids more readily used by the body. Extensive research indicates that omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and help prevent risk factors associated with chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. These essential fatty acids are highly concentrated in the brain and appear to be particularly important for cognitive (brain memory and performance) and behavioral function. 8

Omega-3’s inhibit production of prostaglandin. Prostaglandins play important roles in the development and progression of chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (research has shown that supplementing with omega-3 fish oils can result in a significant reduction in joint inflammation, this reduces morning stiffness and lowers the number of painful joints in rheumatoid arthritis patients of animal and human), lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, and a variety of other inflammatory disorders including kidney disease. They even work to slow down growth of cancer cells! 9

Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish such as salmon, tuna, and halibut. They can also be found in nut oils. 8

Omega-6 Fatty Acids

There are several types of omega-6 fatty acids. Most omega-6 fatty acids are consumed in the diet from vegetable oils as linoelic acid (LA; not to be confused with alpha-linolenic acid [ALA] which is an omega-3 fatty acid). Linoleic acid is converted to gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) in the body and then further broken down to arachidonic acid (AA). AA can be ingested from several plant-based oils including evening primrose oil (EPO), borage oil, and black currant seed oil.

Excess amounts of LA and AA are unhealthy because they promote inflammation, thereby leading to several diseases. In contrast, GLA may actually reduce inflammation. Much of the GLA taken as a supplement is not converted to AA, but rather to a substance called dihomogamma-linolenic acid (DGLA). DGLA competes with AA and prevents the negative inflammatory effects that AA would otherwise cause in the body. In addition, DGLA becomes part of a particular series of substances, called prostaglandins, that can reduce inflammation. Having adequate amounts of certain nutrients in the body (including magnesium, zinc, and vitamins C, B3, and B6) helps promote the conversion of GLA to DGLA rather than AA.

Some clinicians and preliminary research suggests that omega-6 fatty acids may be useful for the following purposes [in humans]: anorexia nervosa, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), diabetes, eye disease, osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), acne and psoriasis, exyema, alchoholism, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, weight loss, high blood pressure and heart disease, tuberculosis, and ulcers. 10

In dogs and cats, omega-6 fatty acids have been shown to have many important roles in the body, such as:

• Maintenance of healthy skin and hair coat in cats and dogs
  
• Ensuring normal pregnancy and lactation in cats and dogs
  
• Ensuring normal growth in kittens and puppies
  
• Ensuring normal cell membrane structure and function in cats and dogs
  
• Enhancing skeletal muscle activity in working dogs
  
• Promoting normal food intake in growing kittens
  
• Normal activity in kittens
  
• Normal immunity in cats
  
• Normal liver and kidney structure in cats 11
  

Omega-6 fatty acids are commercially available in supplemental oils that contain LA and GLA. Spriulina (often called blue-green algae) also contains GLA.

Linoleic acid (LA) is commonly found in cooking oils; including sunflower, safflower, corn, cottonseed, and soybean.

Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and LA are found in the plant seed oils of evening primrose, black currant, borage, and fungal oils.

Arachidonic acid (AA) of the omega-6 series is found in egg yolk, meats in general, particularly organ meats, and other animal-based foods. 10

How Much Essential Fatty Acids Should be Given?

Omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential components of a canine diet, however, the absolute minimum amount required has not yet been established. It is recommended that a dogs food contains at least 5% fat on a dry matter basis.

For growth of the minimum requirements recommended for omega-6 is 540mg/kg of body weight/day.

For maintenance in dogs, the minimum requirements recommended for omega-6 is 200mg/kg body weight/day.

For racing and working dogs supplementation with 50mg EFAs/kg has been recommended.

The ratio between omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids is still not completely clear, but is estimated to be about 5-6 omega-6 : 1 omega-3. 11 However, other research has shown that the ratio should be somewhere between 10:1 to 2:1! 12

EFAs in Pet Food:

The Association of American Feed Control Officials, Inc. (AAFCO) does not recognize Essential Fatty Acids as an essential nutrient, and therefore it is not mandatory to have it in pet foods. However, more and more pet food manufacturers are adding them to their ingredients, if not only for publicity (having essential fatty acids in their food is as a good thing and therefore people are more likely to buy their product). Unfortunately, the amount and ratios of EFAs in dog foods aren’t always accurate or beneficial. Because of this, you should always read the ingredients list on the bag to determine whether or not you need to be supplementing omega-6, omega-3 or both.

Remember that omega-3 fatty acids oxidize rapidly and increases antioxidant requirements of the body. If you supplement, you should make sure the product you feed either has vitamin E added, or supply a vitamin E supplement separately. 12

EFA sources:

Below is the table of Essential Fatty Acid sources:

Omega-3 Fatty Acids:
Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA)	High in flaxseed oil, lesser in canola, soy and walnut oils
Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)	Cold water fish and their oils
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)	Cold water fish and their oils

Omega-6 Fatty Acids:
Linoleic Acid (LA)	Corn, soy, canola, safflower and sunflower oil, whole grains, body fat of poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, etc.)
Arachidonic Acid (AA)	Body fat of poultry (chicken, turkey, duck etc.), lean meat, egg yolks, and some fish oils
Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA)	Black currant seed oil, barrage oil and evening primrose oil
Dihomogamma Linolenic Acid	Organ meats like spleen, kidney and adrenals and metabolized from GLA