Functional Foods

In my “Functional Foods” post, I promised a list of studies showing how food has been used to a dog health.

Studies

I will keep updating this list as I discover more studies or as new studies emerge. But for now, this list is already pretty convincing:

  1. Blueberries are shown to reduce post-exercise oxidative damage in healthy sled dogs[1].
  2. Nutrition can have a dramatic effect on young animals during the early stages of life: carotenoids given to puppies will tend to reduce fat mass, improve fat oxidation and lipid profiles[2].
  3. Use of annatto (which has a high carotenoid content) suppressed the post-prandial rise in blood glucose level and increase plasma insulin level[3].
  4. β‐Carotene, lutein and α‐tocopherol given in combination increased plasma antioxidant concentrations and decreased oxidative damage after exercise[4].
  5. Plasma antibody immunoglobulin G concentrations were found to increase dose‐dependently in dogs fed varying levels of β‐carotene[5].
  6. Immunological variables were altered in older dogs supplemented with β‐carotene[6].
  7. Consumption of yellow-orange vegetables and green leafy vegetables may prevent or slow the development of transitional cell carcinoma in Scottish terriers[7].
  8. Lutein provided to female Beagle dogs displayed immune‐modulating effects[8].
  9. On bone and joint health, treatment of canine osteosarcoma cells reduced cell proliferation[9].
  10. Curcumin was found to have anti-antifraud inflammatory effects on dogs with osteoarthritis.
  11. A diet consisting of beet pulp, dried spinach and other antioxidative nutrients reduced levels of SDMA and creatinine and improved renal function in dogs[10].
  12. In a double-blind trial, dogs fed β-glucan for eight weeks showed significant improvements in the overall index of improvement of atopic dermatitis compared to the control[11].
  13. On cognitive health, several trials which used a diet that included spinach flakes, carrot granules and other antioxidative ingredients showed that dogs receiving the supplements were quicker to learn discrimination tasks[12], [13].
  14. On visual health, daily dose of lutein, zeaxanthin, β‐carotene, astaxanthin, vitamin C and vitamin E significantly improved retinal responses in beagles with healthy eyes[14].

 

References:

[1] Dunlap, K. L. , Reynolds, A. J. , & Duffy, L. K. (2006). Total antioxidant power in sled dogs supplemented with blueberries and the comparison of blood parameters associated with exercise. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 143(4), 429–434. 10.1016/j.cbpa.2005.09.007he
[2] Wang W, Brooks M, Gardner C, Milgram N. Effect of neuroactive nutritional supplementation on body weight and composition in growing puppies. J Nutr Sci. 2017 Nov 23;6:e56. doi: 10.1017/jns.2017.57. PMID: 29209495; PMCID: PMC5705811.
[3] Russell KR, Morrison EY, Ragoobirsingh D. The effect of annatto on insulin binding properties in the dog. Phytother Res. 2005 May;19(5):433-6. doi: 10.1002/ptr.1650. PMID: 16106387.
[4] Baskin, C. R. , Hinchcliff, K. W. , DiSilvestro, R. A. , Reinhart, G. A. , Hayek, M. G. , Chew, B. P. , Burr, J. R. , & Swenson, R. A. (2000). Effects of dietary antioxidant supplementation on oxidative damage and resistance to oxidative damage during prolonged exercise in sled dogs. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 61(8), 886–891. 10.2460/ajvr.2000.61.886
[5] Chew, B. P. , Park, J. S. , Weng, B. C. , Wong, T. S. , Hayek, M. G. , & Reinhart, G. A. (2000). Dietary beta‐carotene is taken up by blood plasma and leukocytes in dogs. The Journal of Nutrition, 130(7), 1788–1791.
[6] Massimino, S. , Kearns, R. J. , Loos, K. M. , Burr, J. , Park, J. S. , Chew, B. , Adams, S. , & Hayek, M. G. (2003). Effects of age and dietary β‐carotene on immunological variables in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 17(6), 835–842.
[7] Raghavan M, Knapp DW, Bonney PL, Dawson MH, Glickman LT. Evaluation of the effect of dietary vegetable consumption on reducing risk of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2005 Jul 1;227(1):94-100. doi: 10.2460/javma.2005.227.94. PMID: 16013542.
[8] Kim, H. W. , Chew, B. P. , Wong, T. S. , Park, J. S. , Weng, B. B. , Byrne, K. M. , Hayek, M. G. , & Reinhart, G. A. (2000). Dietary lutein stimulates immune response in the canine. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 74(3–4), 315–327. 10.1016/S0165-2427(00)00180-X
[9] Wakshlag, J. J. , & Balkman, C. E. (2010). Effects of lycopene on proliferation and death of canine osteosarcoma cells. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 71(11), 1362–1370. 10.2460/ajvr.71.11.1362
[10] Hall, J. A. , MacLeay, J. , Yerramilli, M. , Obare, E. , Yerramilli, M. , Schiefelbein, H. , Paetau‐Robinson, I. , & Jewell, D. E. (2016). Positive impact of nutritional interventions on serum symmetric dimethylarginine and creatinine concentrations in client‐owned geriatric dogs. PLoS One, 11(4), e0153653. 10.1371/journal.pone.0153653
[11] Beynen A.C., Saris D.H.J., Paap P.M., Altena F.V., Visser E.A., Middelkoop J., De Jong L., Staats M. Dietary β-1,3/1,6-glucans reduce clinical signs of canine atopy. Am. J. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2011;6:146–152.
[12] Milgram, N. W. , Zicker, S. C. , Head, E. , Muggenburg, B. A. , Murphey, H. , Ikeda‐Douglas, C. J. , & Cotman, C. W. (2002). Dietary enrichment counteracts age‐associated cognitive dysfunction in canines. Neurobiology of Aging, 23(5), 737–745. 10.1016/S0197-4580(02)00020-9
[13] Milgram, N. W. , Head, E. , Muggenburg, B. , Holowachuk, D. , Murphey, H. , Estrada, J. , Ikeda‐Douglas, C. J. , Zicker, S. C., & Cotman, C. W. (2002). Landmark discrimination learning in the dog: effects of age, an antioxidant fortified food, and cognitive strategy. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 26(6), 679–695. 10.1016/S0149-7634(02)00039-8
[14] Wang, W. , Hernandez, J. , Moore, C. , Jackson, J. , & Narfström, K. (2016). Antioxidant supplementation increases retinal responses and decreases refractive error changes in dogs. Journal of Nutritional Science, 5, e18. 10.1017/jns.2016.5