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If there were humanitarian awards for nutrients, antioxidants would bag the honor every time. Antioxidants protect your cells from degeneration and strengthen your immune system. Human beings have been including antioxidants in their diets for a long time. However, the miracles of these nutrients are not limited to the boundaries of the human world. Antioxidants are beneficial for your precious pets and play a vital role in maintaining the health of your canine companions. Including antioxidants in dog food keeps your dogs fit and increases the shelf life of dog foods. Antioxidants are the super ingredients of dog foods as these increase the nutritional value of the food.
What are antioxidants?
The substances that fight the damage caused by free radicals in your pet’s body are known as antioxidants. Antioxidants selflessly donate electrons to the molecules of free radicals, which contain oxygen and can result in oxidation. The growth of free radicals in the body can lead to severe diseases like heart ailments and cancer. Antioxidants check the growth of free radicals and help your pets live a long and happy life.
Why is it good to check the list of ingredients before buying dog food?
You should prefer buying dog food containing antioxidants to reduce the risk of diseases that can hamper the growth of your pets. Antioxidants fight against the harmful effects of free radicals in your dogs. If your dogs are sick or if they are growing old, the production of free radicals increases in their bodies. Free radicals can be highly reactive. Antioxidants protect the nervous as well as immune systems of your dogs. A sufficient quantity of antioxidants in dog food brands like the Diamond dog food (Diamond Naturals Lamb and Chicken) makes your dogs internally strong and can save you from spending money on expensive medical treatments.
There are two kinds of antioxidants: natural and synthetic. Natural antioxidants are considered healthier among the two though the food containing natural antioxidants may have a shorter shelf life. A balanced combination of natural and synthetic antioxidants like the Cell Advance 440 tabs can preserve dog food for a longer duration. The right combination and quantity of different types of antioxidants can go a long way in keeping dog food fresh.
Your dogs are your most trustworthy companions, and you must take care of them. Choosing the right food for your dog is a task of responsibility. You should refer to the list of ingredients mentioned in the food to be sure about what you are feeding your dogs. Ensure that the food contains the right combination of antioxidants to provide a nutritionally balanced diet to your dogs.
The Role Of Antioxidants And Their Use In Dog Food
If you have the habit of going through the list of ingredients in different wet or dry dog food, you might have come across antioxidants. You might be wondering why dog food manufacturers use antioxidants in their products? You have come to the right place as you can learn about the role of antioxidants and their use in dog food below.
Sources Of Antioxidants
Most manufacturers use natural or synthetic antioxidants or a mix of both when they make dog food. Natural antioxidants consist of rosemary, citric acid, and vitamins C and E, to name a few. You can get vitamin C from vegetables and fruits such as blueberries, tomatoes, apples, and cranberries. Citric acid comes from fruits such as lime, lemon, and orange. Vitamin E comes from a variety of oils such as sunflower, safflower, soybean, and corn. Manufacturers use mixed tocopherols instead of Vitamin E on the list of ingredients. Some of the synthetic antioxidants used in dog food are ethoxyquin, BHT, and BHA. Synthetic antioxidants are made in labs and work well when combined with natural counterparts. When you look at the chemical structure of BHA and BHT, you will find it similar to Vitamin E. Although there are a lot of controversies surrounding ethoxyquin, it is safe in small amounts.
Use Of Antioxidants In Dog Food
The main reason why manufacturers of dog food use antioxidants are to prevent oxidation from taking place. Oxidation is a chemical process that breaks down the fats and nutrients in dry or wet dog food. Oxidation also causes discoloration and rancidity if left unchecked. Antioxidants slow down the progress of oxidation by blocking the damaging effects of oxygen. In most cases, manufacturers add antioxidants during the early stages of production to ensure they work optimally. They also combine different types of antioxidants to improve their effectiveness.
Role Of Antioxidants
Besides working as anti-oxidizing agents, they also come with a myriad of health benefits. For starters, all the cells in your canine’s body don’t get damaged due to antioxidants. Oxidation inside the body leads to the production of free radicals, which damage your canine’s cells. If you don’t do anything about these free radicals, they will continue to damage the cells. They also improve the immune system of your canine so that it can lead a healthy and happy life. If you give antioxidants to a puppy, like the Purina Pro Plan puppy food, it will enhance the canine’s immune system significantly. Similarly, when adult canines consume antioxidants, it prevents damage due to oxidation from taking place in their organs and brain. As a result of this, the lifespan of your canine will increase considerably. If you have any queries regarding this topic, feel free to leave a comment below!
