Pet Food Recalls, Canine Nutrition, Ingredients Analysis

NEW FIBERS NOT THE ANSWER FOR OBESITY

Beware the new "diet" pet foods being marketed through vets and recently available off shelf at most retailers. The last thing your pet needs is less nutrition!

May 2009

Nel Liquorman, Health Editor

Fillers and fibers replace other less costly and more vital ingredients plus they can actually increase the appetite as the body struggles to get enough vital nutrition.

Corn has long been a staple of dog food but now being used as a (costly) fuel source, pet food manufacturers are seeking other fillers.  See related articl on this website.

According to this article in National Pet Press newspaper, some of the diet and fiber additives in human diet may do more harm than good.

Food giants would have us believe obesity and diabetes are due to a lack of good bacteria in the colon. They will treat us and our pets with fibers.  Some fibers may actually create colon problems for you and your pet.

Here are some typical side effects - flatulence, bloating, abdominal pains, cramps, diarrhea, and possible allergic reactions. Side effects may increase as inulin, fructooligosaccharide (FOS), oligofructose, chicory root, burdock root, and others are added to foods.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki and the University of Montana suggest that inulin supplemented diets can pose problems.

My personal experience with inulin (in yogurt) caused me to feel as if I had been drugged. Yogurt is good for the colon, so why would plant fiber be needed? Could these fibers flush valuable nutrients from the body?

Dieters should also know that fibers, which are chemically extractable from 36,000 vegetables, herbs, or weeds, may actually stimulate appetite.

Using fibers this way sounds natural enough but they are only rated as GRAS, i.e. Generally Recognized As Safe. That can mean new products have not yet generated enough adverse effects to be “recognized” as unsafe.  For example, high fructose corn syrup solids is in most “prepared” foods such as bread, soup, snacks, and of course, soda pop even though it is known to interfere with insulin production, which contributes to obesity, raises triglycerides, and saps our energy.

Knowing that Communist China is set to be the biggest exporter of new fibers should make us sick right now!

New fibers are being aggressively marketed and once they are abundant in human and pet foods, we may not be rid of them for decades.

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