The importance of Carbohydrates
Jan 29, 2010 8:48:51 GMT 10
Post by Tom Meulman on Jan 29, 2010 8:48:51 GMT 10
The importance of Carbohydrates in a greyhound’s diet
The energy that is required for efficient muscular function is derived from the diet, and while energy can also be obtained from the protein and fat in the diet, the most efficient form of energy is derived from carbohydrates.
Why?
Carbohydrates burn cleanly. In fact the name "carbo- hydrate" basically means "carbon (dioxide) and water," which is what plants make carbs out of, and which is all the waste product that is left when a biological system uses them as fuel.
Burning protein for energy on the other hand, creates a considerable amount of waste product.
The waste product produced by protein metabolism is similar to the waste product produced by excessive muscle strain when the protein of the muscle tissue starts to break down, and therefore increases the amount of waste that the kidneys have to process.
Energy can also be obtained from the fat in the diet, but for fat to be used efficiently for energy it requires carbohydrates.
Without sufficient carbohydrates in the diet to assist the breakdown of fat efficiently, its only choice is to burn fat using a pathway that produces toxic by-products like acetone and other "Ketones", and again the kidneys have to process most of the waste so produced.
While it may sound dramatic, in my honest opinion, feeding a diet high in protein and fat without the appropriate amount of carbohydrates to correctly balance the diet is the equivalent of giving the kidneys the same amount of waste to process as if the dog has had a run, and yet it’s resting in the kennels!
What then of the effect on the kidneys when the dog does get a hard run while in this state?
Simple, the kidneys are unable to process all of the waste produced by both the diet and the hard run, increasing the amount of waste product in the muscle tissue, and creating the ideal condition for increased muscle damage, cramp, and increased pain in the spinal nerve pathways. This is of course more likely to occur to a greyhound that is already running close to its maximum distance or one that is unfit as this increases the amount of muscle strain and threfore the amount of waste product.
The other problem is that for the kidneys to remove waste from the body it requires water, leaving the dog in a continuous state of low level dehydration, that can not be corrected by giving electrolytes.
This stress on the kidneys also has the effect of reducing the amount of natural EPO produced by the kidneys, with an anaemic dog as an end result, as well as one where the blood profile shows it is suffering from “stress”..
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates can basically be placed in two groups: simple carbohydrates such as sugars, which include glucose, and fructose.
These enter the body from the small intestine and are available as a form of instant energy.
Complex carbohydrates, that are mainly structured from a long chain of sugars and starches as derived from root vegetables and grains. These also include dietary fibre, primarily cellulose which is also made up of several thousand units of glucose.
The complex carbohydrates require breaking down in the digestive system into their various components, and therefore provide a longer more sustained release of energy.
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While I do not wish this post to turn into a “rant” against the high protein complete foods that have become extremely popular over the last 5 years or more, all I know is that the amount of work I have to do massaging out and releasing muscle spasms in the spines of the dogs that I check for injuries, has increased considerably in line with the popularity of these diets. Muscle spasms that are in my opinion primarily caused by the inability of the dog’s kidneys to remove all of the toxins and waste from the body efficiently.
Tom
The energy that is required for efficient muscular function is derived from the diet, and while energy can also be obtained from the protein and fat in the diet, the most efficient form of energy is derived from carbohydrates.
Why?
Carbohydrates burn cleanly. In fact the name "carbo- hydrate" basically means "carbon (dioxide) and water," which is what plants make carbs out of, and which is all the waste product that is left when a biological system uses them as fuel.
Burning protein for energy on the other hand, creates a considerable amount of waste product.
The waste product produced by protein metabolism is similar to the waste product produced by excessive muscle strain when the protein of the muscle tissue starts to break down, and therefore increases the amount of waste that the kidneys have to process.
Energy can also be obtained from the fat in the diet, but for fat to be used efficiently for energy it requires carbohydrates.
Without sufficient carbohydrates in the diet to assist the breakdown of fat efficiently, its only choice is to burn fat using a pathway that produces toxic by-products like acetone and other "Ketones", and again the kidneys have to process most of the waste so produced.
While it may sound dramatic, in my honest opinion, feeding a diet high in protein and fat without the appropriate amount of carbohydrates to correctly balance the diet is the equivalent of giving the kidneys the same amount of waste to process as if the dog has had a run, and yet it’s resting in the kennels!
What then of the effect on the kidneys when the dog does get a hard run while in this state?
Simple, the kidneys are unable to process all of the waste produced by both the diet and the hard run, increasing the amount of waste product in the muscle tissue, and creating the ideal condition for increased muscle damage, cramp, and increased pain in the spinal nerve pathways. This is of course more likely to occur to a greyhound that is already running close to its maximum distance or one that is unfit as this increases the amount of muscle strain and threfore the amount of waste product.
The other problem is that for the kidneys to remove waste from the body it requires water, leaving the dog in a continuous state of low level dehydration, that can not be corrected by giving electrolytes.
This stress on the kidneys also has the effect of reducing the amount of natural EPO produced by the kidneys, with an anaemic dog as an end result, as well as one where the blood profile shows it is suffering from “stress”..
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates can basically be placed in two groups: simple carbohydrates such as sugars, which include glucose, and fructose.
These enter the body from the small intestine and are available as a form of instant energy.
Complex carbohydrates, that are mainly structured from a long chain of sugars and starches as derived from root vegetables and grains. These also include dietary fibre, primarily cellulose which is also made up of several thousand units of glucose.
The complex carbohydrates require breaking down in the digestive system into their various components, and therefore provide a longer more sustained release of energy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While I do not wish this post to turn into a “rant” against the high protein complete foods that have become extremely popular over the last 5 years or more, all I know is that the amount of work I have to do massaging out and releasing muscle spasms in the spines of the dogs that I check for injuries, has increased considerably in line with the popularity of these diets. Muscle spasms that are in my opinion primarily caused by the inability of the dog’s kidneys to remove all of the toxins and waste from the body efficiently.
Tom
