The growing trend among the general population toward diets that are considered more natural is also increasing the number of dog owners who are going in search of alternative foods for their pets other than industrially produced extruded dry food. This attitude has not yet been investigated in depth by official surveys, but it can, in all likelihood, be traced back to a generalized distrust of pet food of industrial origin and the intent to avoid contents deemed harmful such as preservatives and additives, or unknown and potentially contaminating ingredients.
In this scenario, cooked whole foods for dogs are finding an increasing place. In humans, whole foods fight inflammation and strengthen the immune response, reducing the risk of going into various diseases.
These are benefits attributable to nutrients in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, with carotenoids and flavonoids activating and supporting the immune system.
In the dog, on the other hand, the hypothesis that cooked whole-grain food may represent a health advantage over the classic dry extruded diet of industrial origin has not yet been investigated. A contribution in this direction comes from a studyconducted at the University of Glendale in Arizona, published in the journal Frontiers In Veterinary Science.
Methods and results of the U.S. study
The aim of the study, which was set up according to a prospective randomized crossover model, was to evaluate the effects of a whole-food diet on immune function and inflammatory phenotype in healthy dogs.
For this purpose, 16 dogs between the ages of one and ten years were divided into two groups that were fed either whole food or through a dry extruded diet for 67 days, and then vice versa for another 67 days. At the completion of each arm of the study-i.e., after 67 and 134 days, respectively-the animals underwent blood sampling for the planned evaluations.
Test results showed that dogs fed whole foods had significantly lower TNF-α/IL-10 ratio(P = 0.05) and higher IL-8 production(P = 0.03) at the leukocyte level, marking an anti-inflammatory effect and strengthening of the anti-infective response.
The mechanisms behind the benefits
As the authors point out, the reasons for this anti-inflammatory effect may be multiple. For example, the Lower presence of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that characterizes whole foods, which are cooked at lower temperatures than dry extruded food (these macromolecules are absorbed through the diet and in humans have been associated with chronic inflammatory diseases such as osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis, nephropathy, and diabetes).
The fish oil content is also mentioned as a source of EPA and DHA, with their pro-inflammatory effect being lower than that of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, but also the presence of vitamin D and zinc.
For its part, theincreased leukocyte production of IL-8 brought about by the whole diet results in increased efficiency of the immune response, as interleukin-8 plays an important role against infection and in wound healing.
Together with the anti-inflammatory action, this cytokine-level benefit attests that whole foods improve the innate response to infection.
It would be desirable, as a future development, for similar studies to be conducted in unhealthy dogs, for individual components of the two diets to be compared, and for further evaluations to determine precisely to which substances the benefits found can be attributed.
Reference
Jaffey JA, Su D, Monasky R, Hanratty B, Flannery E, Horman M. Effects of a whole food diet on immune function and inflammatory phenotype in healthy dogs: A randomized, open-labeled, cross-over clinical trial. Front Vet Sci. 2022;9:898056. Published 2022 Aug 23. doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.898056
