A healthy diet is essential to supporting your cat’s immune health. The immune system is the body’s defense mechanism that fights disease through many complex processes. A good balance of antioxidants in the diet can also play a key role in the body’s immune response.

What are Free Radicals?

Free radicals come from oxidation, which is a reaction created when oxygen interacts with other compounds in the body. In fact, free radicals are found in all living species that require oxygen to survive (i.e. humans, cats, dogs, etc.). These molecules are produced during our bodies’ daily activities, such as when they fight bacteria or viruses, or when cells burn food for energy. Specifically, a free radical is a molecule that has an unpaired electron, making it unstable. In order to stabilize itself, a free radical may seek to enter the body’s cells. This results in the once stable cells being transformed into a chain of unstable molecules. While free radicals are essential to many metabolic reactions in the body, including muscle function, digestion of food, and the immune system’s ability to kill germs, they can cause damage when they react with important cellular components. Because free radicals are highly reactive, they can attach to and damage any normal cellular part of the body, such as DNA. This damage can result in poor cellular function or even death of the cell. In short, while cats need oxygen to live (their bodies burn calories for “fuel” with oxygen), this creates a harmful byproduct: free radicals. Free radicals “corrode” the body by removing electrons from every molecule they encounter in a chain reaction, like dominoes.

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants and free radicals interact closely in the body. Antioxidants are molecules that can bind to free radicals by donating one of their own electrons, which will stabilize them, stopping the reaction they cause. Antioxidants can therefore reduce the damage caused by free radicals. Fortunately, by donating their electrons, antioxidants do not become free radicals since they are stable in all forms. It is estimated that each cell in the body experiences 10,000 oxidative stresses daily from free radicals. Antioxidants are therefore very important in preventing cellular damage by "cleaning up" or eliminating free radicals before they can do any harm. Fortunately, the body has two types of antioxidant systems:

• The first is a set of antioxidant enzymes already present in the body. Specific antioxidant enzymes convert free radicals into water or oxygen, while other enzymes break down oxidized molecules or cut up and replace damaged pieces of DNA.
• The second type of antioxidants is introduced into the body through diet. Vitamins and other non-vitamins such as lutein, lycopene, carotenoids, and polyphenols all act as antioxidants. The latter can be found in ingredients such as spinach, kale, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, blueberries, and green tea.

How does this work in my cat's body?

As mentioned earlier, free radicals do not have a negative impact when they are formed during normal bodily functions. However, there are a few external factors that can trigger the production of free radicals if your cat is exposed to them:

• • Pollution
  • Environmental stress
  • Excessive exposure to sunlight
  • Chemicals
  • Lack of exercise
  • Certain medications and treatments

These factors create an excess of free radicals in the cat's body. It is the imbalance between the production of free radicals and the body's ability to counteract their harmful effects that results in diseases related to aging and age such as osteoarthritis, neurodegeneration, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Free radicals are frequently implicated in the development of diseases as well as cellular damage that leads to aging, while antioxidants are intimately involved in their prevention. In summary, cats' bodies naturally become "rusty" over time (natural aging, environmental factors, etc.), just like metal. In other words, free radicals act like rust and antioxidants act like rust inhibitors.

What are the benefits of natural antioxidants in my cat's diet?

Cats can also benefit from antioxidants in their diet, even if they have internal defenses to reduce the impact of free radicals. Different fruits and vegetables have been analyzed by scientists to measure their antioxidant power (oxygen radical absorbance capacity or ORAC). The higher the ORAC value, the higher the antioxidant power of the food. For example:

• • Small fruits and berries (e.g. blueberries and blackberries) are excellent sources of antioxidants. With their high content of phytochemicals such as flavonoids, they may improve memory in cats¹
  • Carotenoids (the red, yellow, and orange pigments found in plant foods such as carrots and tomatoes) also contain a powerful antioxidant effect. Vitamins E and C found in beta-carotene have been shown to reduce oxidative stress in cats with renal failure .²