Trouw Pet Nutrition Outlook, Volume 4
Dietary Fiber from Beginning to End bacteria depend on protein and amino acids for nourishment which can be detrimental to gut health Protein and amino acid fermentati on produces nitrogenous compounds such as ammonia biogenic amines phenols indoles and gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfi de Yao et al 2015 These compounds can be proinfl ammatory and or carcinogenic Gases phenols and indoles result in fl atulence and stool odor which af ect the consumer percepti on of diet quality Yao et al 2015 These detrimental compounds can be diluted and reduced by promoti ng dietary fi ber fermentati on instead of protein fermentati on see Figure 2 Microbial Diversity and Populati ons The intesti nal tract is a natural ecosystem and the health of an ecosystem is measured by evaluati ng the diversity of plants and animals and their ability to live in a symbioti c relati onship Greater diversity is typically indicati ve of a healthier ecosystem Grazing animals need plenty of plant life and variety to meet their nutriti onal needs With ample vegetati on grazing animals consume a healthy diet and easily reproduce providing plenty and a variety of food sources for the predators enabling them to thrive All this animal acti vity promotes soil health by providing vegetati ve control and compost for the plants The plants then thrive and the cycle conti nues These organisms live in a symbioti c relati onship and depend on one another for food and health If one species is out of balance the food chain is disrupted Undigested dietary and endogenous proteins and pepti des are fermented by the gut microbiota These microbes produce various compounds such as ammonia biogenic amines phenols indoles branched chain fat y acids and gases e g methane hydrogen sulfi de These are absorbed and detoxifi ed or excreted in the feces Dietary fi ber dilute these compounds and provide benefi cial carbohydrates for fermentati on which af ects all other living organisms in that ecosystem A similar symbioti c ecosystem lives in the intesti nal tract of all animals Intesti nal microorganisms ferment undigested nutrients into energy and metabolites that can be used by the host to improve host health In additi on these organisms release hormones anti microbial compounds and pro and anti infl ammatory compounds that af ect the behavior and health of the host In return the host provides nourishment and an anaerobic environment in which the microorganisms can thrive see Figure 3 Scienti fi c understanding of the microbiome is in its infancy but one major concept Disposal by epithelium Figure 2 Nitrogenous Compound Effects Undigested Protein Microbiota Gases H 2 CO 2 CH 4 H 2 S NH 3 Amines Phenol Indoles Branched chain Structural Proteins Endogenous Protein 8 Trouw Pet Nutrition Outlook Volume 4
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