Immune health support

The immune system is the body's defense mechanism that fights disease through many complex processes. A healthy diet can help support your dog's immune system by providing it with the antioxidants it needs to function properly.

What are Free Radicals?

When oxygen interacts with other compounds in the body, a reaction called "oxidation" occurs, which results in free radicals. These molecules are produced during normal bodily functions, such as when cells burn food for energy or when the body fights bacteria or viruses. As a result, free radicals are found in species that require oxygen to survive (i.e. humans, dogs, cats, etc.). A free radical is a molecule that has an unpaired electron, making it unstable. To stabilize itself, a free radical typically enters the body's cells. In doing so, free radicals tend to turn once-stable cells 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 bind to any normal cell in the body, such as DNA, and eventually damage it. Damage to such cellular components can lead to improper cellular function and even cell death.
In short, while dogs need oxygen to live (their bodies use oxygen to burn "fuel" or food calories), it produces harmful byproducts in the form of free radicals. Free radicals "corrode" the body by removing electrons from any other molecule they encounter in a chain reaction, like dominoes.

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are molecules that can bind to free radicals by donating one of their own electrons, stabilizing them and stopping the reaction they cause, potentially reducing damage to cells in the body. By donating their electrons, antioxidants do not become free radicals themselves, 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, making antioxidants important in preventing cellular damage by “scavenging” or removing free radicals before they can do any harm. Fortunately, the body has 2 types of antioxidant systems to rely on:
  • The first is a set of antioxidant enzymes already present in the body. Some specific antioxidant enzymes convert free radicals into harmless water or oxygen, while others 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. They are found in ingredients such as spinach, kale, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, blueberries, and green tea.

How does it work in my dog’s body?

As mentioned earlier, free radicals are a product of normal bodily functions. However, there are a few external factors that can also trigger the production of free radicals if your dog is exposed to them:
  • Pollution
  • Environmental stress
  • Excessive sun exposure
  • Chemicals
  • Lack of exercise
  • Certain medications and treatments
These factors create an excess of free radicals in dogs’ bodies. 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 and cellular damage that lead to aging. Antioxidants are intimately involved in their prevention.

In summary, dogs' bodies naturally become "rusty" over time (natural aging, environmental factors), like metal. In other words, free radicals act like the rusting process; antioxidants, like arustproofing agent.

 

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

Dogs have built-in defenses to reduce the impact of free radicals. However, dietary antioxidants are also beneficial. Specifically, a number of plants contain natural compounds that act as antioxidants. A variety of fruits and vegetables have been analyzed by scientists to measure their antioxidant capacity (oxygen radical absorbance capacity or ORAC). Higher ORAC values ​​equate to higher measured antioxidant activity. 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 dogs1.
  • Carotenoids (the red, yellow, and orange pigments found in plant foods such as carrots and tomatoes) also contain a powerful antioxidant effect. Dietary beta-carotene has been shown to stimulate natural defense responses in dogs2.