Genetics and Pet Food
Feeding your pet is not rocket science, right? It is plain and simple and easy to understand and involves no great thinking skills, right? Well, yes. And no. And maybe. For you, the pet owner, it might not be, but animal diets just got even more scientific with the advent of nutrigenomics. Which, depending on your attitude towards science, could make you a very happy pet owner, although maybe a bit confused as well.
With genes and genetics the new frontier in human medicine, it is no great wonder that this field of study has now seriously hit the pet world as well. Call it the genetics of nutrition – how to feed your pet’s genes for optimal health and wellbeing, specifically applied to certain disease processes.
It goes something like this:
Fritz the Dachshund has a specific combination of genes in his genetic material. Some are fixed – he is born with short, crooked legs and long ears. Period. Nothing is going to change that. Some of his genes, however, can be switched on or off. While Fritz may have a genetic predisposition for back problems or obesity, these genes can be turned on or off by certain environmental factors. Nutrition can play an important role in this flipping of switches, or what is known as gene expression.
The science starts when specific genes related to a disease are identified in the animal’s DNA. The effect of a range of nutrients on these genes are then tested – for example, whether fish oil will flip the heart disease switch off or carrots will inactivate the obesity gene – before incorporating the info into a real diet. Often, it is a combination of nutrients that work together to influence gene expression. In other words, carrots alone may not do the trick for Fred, but when combined with magic nutrients C, Q and Z, it becomes a recipe for success, significantly lowering his chances of getting sick or overweight.
Nutritionists at a pet food company have now formulated a weight loss diet based on the scientific principles of nutrigenomics. This promises to normalize the gene expression of obese animals. In other words, the diet actually turns the genes back into those of a lean animal with a better metabolism and decreased appetite. The result – weight loss. Feed the right food and you (or your pet, to be precise) reap the benefits of a leaner body.
It may not be rocket science, but it’s a whole lot more relevant to the daily life of your pet than flying to the moon.
Ilse van Staden, July 2014
(For more on pet nutrition, see The Ultimate Pet Nutrition Guide)
With genes and genetics the new frontier in human medicine, it is no great wonder that this field of study has now seriously hit the pet world as well. Call it the genetics of nutrition – how to feed your pet’s genes for optimal health and wellbeing, specifically applied to certain disease processes.
It goes something like this:
Fritz the Dachshund has a specific combination of genes in his genetic material. Some are fixed – he is born with short, crooked legs and long ears. Period. Nothing is going to change that. Some of his genes, however, can be switched on or off. While Fritz may have a genetic predisposition for back problems or obesity, these genes can be turned on or off by certain environmental factors. Nutrition can play an important role in this flipping of switches, or what is known as gene expression.
The science starts when specific genes related to a disease are identified in the animal’s DNA. The effect of a range of nutrients on these genes are then tested – for example, whether fish oil will flip the heart disease switch off or carrots will inactivate the obesity gene – before incorporating the info into a real diet. Often, it is a combination of nutrients that work together to influence gene expression. In other words, carrots alone may not do the trick for Fred, but when combined with magic nutrients C, Q and Z, it becomes a recipe for success, significantly lowering his chances of getting sick or overweight.
Nutritionists at a pet food company have now formulated a weight loss diet based on the scientific principles of nutrigenomics. This promises to normalize the gene expression of obese animals. In other words, the diet actually turns the genes back into those of a lean animal with a better metabolism and decreased appetite. The result – weight loss. Feed the right food and you (or your pet, to be precise) reap the benefits of a leaner body.
It may not be rocket science, but it’s a whole lot more relevant to the daily life of your pet than flying to the moon.
Ilse van Staden, July 2014
(For more on pet nutrition, see The Ultimate Pet Nutrition Guide)
