Dietary fiber & Polyunsaturated fatty acids

Question 1

What is a substrate from the diet for microbes residing in within the GI tract?

Answer 1

Dietary Fiber

Question 2

Dietary fiber is a ________ carbohydrate, that is _______ to mammalian digestive enzymes

Answer 2

complex carb

resistant to mammalian digestive enzymes

Question 3

Is the crude fiber required on pet food labels accurate?

Answer 3

NO

it derived from an assay developed for the wood pulp industry. It is also applied to feeds and forages

Question 4

What is more important than the crude fiber within a petfood?

Answer 4

The total dietary fiber

It is derived using a chemical method and is a more complete detection of fiber

Question 5

What kind of dietary fiber will turn into a gel when sitting in water for a long time?

Answer 5

Soluble fibers

Question 6

What are some examples of soluble fiber components? What are their sources?

Answer 6

Components: Pectins, Gums, Mucilages, hemicelluloses

Sources: fruits and veggies, oats and oat bran, legums, phyllium husks

Question 7

What is the most common insoluble fiber component?

Answer 7

Cellulose

others: modified cullulose, ligin, hemicelluloses

Question 8

What are some sources of insoluble fibers?

Answer 8

Vegetables
cereal grains
seed coats
wheat bran

Question 9

What does bacterial fiber fermentation produce?

Answer 9

Short chain fatty acids (aka volatile fatty acids) and gas

Question 10

What are short chain fatty acids an energy source for?

Answer 10

cells lining the large intestine

Question 11

SCFA produce a(n) ______ environment in the large intestine, and the promote absorption of _____ and ______.

Answer 11

Acidic

water and electrolytes

Question 12

What type of fiber will bind to minerals?

Answer 12

Soluble

Question 13

T/F: Soluble dietary fiber is resistant to bacterial fermentation

Answer 13

FALSE

Insoluble is resistant to bacterial fermentation

These also tend not to bind minerals or digestive enzymes

Question 14

What is the minimum percent of fiber needed in a diet to prevent diarrhea?

Answer 14

1% minimum

Question 15

What is a prebiotic?

Answer 15

Functional food: non digestible food ingredients that benefit the host’s health by selectively stimulating growth and or activity of a limited number of bacteria

Question 16

What are some conditions where fiber in the diet can be used therapeutically?

Answer 16

Obesity
diabetes mellitus
hyperlipidemia
used to normalize intestinal motility
Trichobezoars
colitis
constipation (it is important that proper hydration is maintained)

Question 17

T/F: Crude fiber = total dietary fiber in a diet

Answer 17

FALSE

**TDF is more important and accurate

Question 18

What are some properties of facilitative lipids?

Answer 18

Add palatability and texture
Provide dense calorie source
Stored as energy
Promote fat soluble vitamin adsorption
Many are saturated and monounsaturated

Question 19

What are some properties of functional dietary lipids?

Answer 19

Cell regulation and or metabolism
*Essential (linoleic and alpha linolenic)
Conditionally essential: Arachidonic (cats), DSH (neonates), *derived from essential fatty acids
*other functional fats: CLA, MCT, EPA

Question 20

What kind of diet will limit the activity of enzymes that denature glucose and or amino acids?

Answer 20

High fat diets (like the diets of dogs and cats - they directly use and store FA from their diet)

These enzymes will be active when consuming low fat and carbohydrates (like the diets of herbivores)

Question 21

T/F: Mammals can convert and revert linoleic acid and alpha linolenic acid easily

Answer 21

FALSE

This is why they are important within the diet

Question 22

What is the end product or biologically active PUFA synthesized from linoleic acid?

Answer 22

Arachidonic acid

Question 23

From what source do animals get arachidonic acid in their diet?

What animal requires this in their diet?

Answer 23

Mammalian meat and chicken eggs

Cats require this in their diet - they lack the enzyme required to synthesize it (dogs do not)

Question 24

What is the end product or biologically active PUFA synthesized from alpha-linolenic acid?

Answer 24

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)

Can be further synthesized into DHA (which is required in puppy foods)

Question 25

T/F: Dogs require alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in their diets

Answer 25

TRUE

Question 26

What are some sources of n-6 PUFA (linoleic)?

Answer 26

Plant based oils: corn, cottonseed, safflower, sunflower, olive, soybean, canola

Question 27

What are some sources of n-3 PUFA (ALA)?

Answer 27

Fish oil (cold water fishes)
Flaxseed oil
Some in canola and soybean oil

Question 28

Who requires linoleic acid in their diet?

Answer 28

All mammals

***needed to maintain the integrity of the skin

Question 29

Can cats synthesize EPA or DHA?

Answer 29

NO

Question 30

What clinical signs are associated with essential fatty acid deficiencies?

Answer 30

• Poor growth and weight gain
• Cutaneous changes: matted coat/unkempt appearance, scaly skin and increase epidermal turn over rate, thin discolored coat, weak cutaneous blood vessels
• Infertility and poor wound healing

Question 31

How long does it take to see results from taking a fish oil supplement?

Answer 31

at least 8-12 weeks - to get incorporated with cell membranes

Question 32

What could be a side effect of too much EFA in the diet?

Answer 32

easily bruising due to decreased PLT function (increase in thromboxane A2)

Question 33

T/F: n-3 PUFA are much more effective in inhibiting n-6 metabolism than vice versa

Answer 33

TRUE