Introduction to Nutrients

Flashcards covering key vocabulary, nutrients, digestion types, mineral and vitamin roles, deficiencies, toxicities, water quality, and energy calculations from the 'Introduction to Nutrients' lecture.

Herbivore

An animal whose diet consists primarily of plant tissue.

Omnivore

An animal whose diet consists of both plant and animal tissue.

Carnivore

An animal whose diet consists primarily of animal tissue.

Obligate Carnivore

An animal that MUST eat animal tissue.

Hypercarnivore

An animal whose diet is >70% animal tissue.

Mesocarnivore

An animal whose diet is 50-70% animal tissue.

Hypocarnivore

An animal whose diet is <30% animal tissue.

Rumen/Cecum/Large Intestine (in Herbivores)

Fermentation vats where microbes convert carbohydrates to volatile fatty acids.

Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs)

Short-chain fatty acids (Acetate, Butyrate, Proprionate) produced by microbial fermentation of carbohydrates; provide 60-80% of a cow’s energy.

Urea Cycle

The metabolic pathway in ruminants where ammonia from protein degradation is converted into protein for the animal.

Ruminant Digestion (Efficient Digestors)

Type of digestion where fermentation occurs at the start of the digestive tract, allowing tolerance of poor-quality diets and no strict dietary requirement for essential amino acids, fatty acids, or B vitamins.

Hind Gut Fermentors

Animals (e.g., horses) where fermentation occurs in the large intestine, with only VFAs, minerals, and water absorbed there; dependent on diet to supply essential amino acids and vitamins.

Essential Dietary Nutrients for Cats

Include B vitamins, α-linolenic, linoleic, and arachidonic acid, essential amino acids, and taurine.

Nutrients

Substances vital for life, including water, minerals, protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, fat, amino acids, glucose, and fatty acids.

Carbohydrates

A source of energy (3.5 kcal/g); conditionally essential for dogs and cats during growth, gestation, and lactation to synthesize glucose.

Non-Structural Carbohydrates

Highly digestible carbohydrates like sugars (lactose, sucrose, fructose) and starches, often primary energy sources.

Structural Carbohydrates (Fiber)

Glucose polymers (cellulose) and other saccharide polymers (gums, lignin) that are generally not digestible by monogastrics.

Fermentable Fiber

Fiber that can be fermented by bacteria; can be soluble or insoluble.

Non-Fermentable Fiber

Fiber that cannot be fermented by bacteria; can be soluble or insoluble.

Crude Fibre

An insoluble fiber measurement primarily including lignin and cellulose, which can underestimate hemicellulose content.

Neutral Digestible Fibre (NDF)

A measure of fiber including lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose.

Acid Digestible Fibre (ADF)

A measure of fiber including lignin and cellulose.

Nitrogen Free Extract (NFE)

Includes digestible starches and soluble fibers, representing the non-fiber carbohydrate portion.

Total Dietary Fibre (TDF)

A comprehensive measure including all soluble and insoluble fibers.

Butyrate

A volatile fatty acid that is the preferred energy source for colon epithelial cells.

Fiber as Prebiotics

Dietary fiber, often oligosaccharides, that selectively promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Lipids (Fats and Oils)

Energy-dense nutrients (8.5 kcal/g); fats are solid (saturated fatty acids) and oils are liquid (unsaturated fatty acids) at room temperature.

Long Chain Triglycerides (LCTs)

The most common form of lipid in the diet, transported from the small intestine in the lymphatics.

Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs)

Lipids more rapidly hydrolyzed and absorbed than LCTs, transported in the portal vein, and used therapeutically in monogastrics.

Saturated Fatty Acids

Lipids with no double bonds in their carbon chains (e.g., tallow).

Mono-unsaturated Fatty Acids

Lipids with one double bond in their carbon chains (e.g., olive oil).

Poly-unsaturated Fatty Acids

Lipids with several double bonds in their carbon chains (e.g., many plant oils, fish oil).

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

Fatty acids (omega 3 and omega 6 series) that mammals cannot synthesize and must obtain from their diet (ruminants have no dietary EFA requirement).

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Essential polyunsaturated fatty acids like alpha linolenic acid (ALA), precursors of anti-inflammatory mediators (e.g., DHA, EPA); found in fish oil, canola oil, flax oil.

Omega 6 Fatty Acids

Essential polyunsaturated fatty acids like linoleic acid, required to make inflammatory mediators; cats also require arachidonic acid; found in chicken fat, sunflower oil.

Proteins

Groups of amino acids joined by peptide links; essential for building tissue, enzymes, hormones, carriers, immunity, and energy (3.5 kcal/g).

Dietary Essential Amino Acids

Amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the mammal and must be supplied in the diet (cats have the most requirements).

Conditionally Essential Amino Acids

Amino acids that are normally non-essential but become required in certain physiological states.

Crude Protein

The calculated protein content of a diet, based on total nitrogen content, including true protein and non-protein nitrogen (e.g., ammonia, nitrates, urea).

Melamine

A plastic containing nitrogen, historically used to fraudulently inflate crude protein content in feed.

Apparent Digestible Protein

Calculated as Crude Protein Eaten minus Crude Protein in Feces.

Ileal Digestible Protein (True Digestible Protein)

Calculated as Crude Protein Eaten minus Crude Protein at Ileum, considered more accurate for nutrient availability to the animal.

Biological Value of Protein

A measure of the usefulness of absorbed protein in building new tissue, determined by its amino acid composition relative to the animal's needs.

Non-Protein Nitrogen (NPN)

Nitrogen sources (e.g., ammonia, urea, nitrates) that ruminal microbes can use to synthesize amino acids and protein.

NPN Toxicosis

A condition where ammonia production in the rumen exceeds the microbes' ability to utilize it, leading to ammonia buildup, overwhelming liver detoxification, and elevated blood ammonia levels.

Taurine

A sulfonic amino acid that is dietary essential in cats due to their obligatory loss in bile and limited synthetic capacity; required for retina, heart, and brain health.

Muscle Condition Score

An assessment of muscle mass and integrity by visualization and palpation of specific bony prominences, graded as normal, mild, moderate, or severe loss.

Minerals

Micronutrients required in small quantities, typically with structural roles or acting as co-enzymes; not a significant energy source.

Macrominerals

Minerals required in larger quantities (e.g., Ca, P, K, Na, Mg), usually expressed as a percentage of the diet.

Microminerals (Trace Minerals)

Minerals required in smaller quantities (e.g., Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, I, Se), usually expressed as ppm or mg/kg.

Potassium

A macromineral vital for maintaining cell shape, cardiac function, nerve conduction, and muscle contraction; leafy plants are rich sources.

Sodium

A macromineral that contributes to osmotic pressure, controls blood volume, and plays a role in cell energy metabolism; the only mineral for which there is a clearly defined appetite.

Salt Toxicity (CNS signs)

Results from excess sodium and/or limited water, leading to hypernatremia causing neurological signs like wandering, blindness, head-pressing, and dog-sitting.

Calcium

A macromineral important for bone formation (99% of body's calcium), muscle function, nerve transmission, and blood clotting; its absorption is regulated by Vitamin D.

Calcium Homeostasis

The physiological mechanisms (involving PTH from parathyroid gland and Vitamin D from small intestine) that regulate serum calcium levels.

Hypocalcemia (Acute Calcium Deficiency)

A rapid drop in blood calcium, often seen in late pregnancy or early lactation due to increased demand exceeding the body's ability to mobilize calcium.

Osteomalacia

A chronic bone condition in mature animals characterized by weak bones and disruption of bone remodeling, often due to chronic calcium or phosphorus deficiency.

Rickets

A chronic bone condition in young, growing animals characterized by weak bones, enlarged growth plates, and deformed bones, typically due to calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D deficiencies.

Anionic Diets (DCAB)

Dietary Cation-Anion Balanced (feeding systems) that create acidic conditions to promote calcium mobilization from bones, used to prevent hypocalcemia in cattle.

Phosphorus

A macromineral intricately related to calcium, important for healthy bones, cell membranes, energy dispersement, DNA, and RNA; balancing its ratio with calcium is critical for proper growth.

Magnesium

A macromineral component of bone and intracellular fluids, important for PTH secretion/activity, nervous conduction, muscle contraction, and energy metabolism; deficiencies can lead to tetany and convulsions.

Struvite Urolithiasis

The formation of urinary stones composed of Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate, which can be predisposed by excess dietary magnesium.

Iron

The most abundant trace mineral, a constituent of hemoglobin (oxygen transport in RBCs) and myoglobin (oxygen storage in muscles), and vital for enzymatic functions.

Copper

A trace mineral stored in the liver that facilitates iron absorption, promotes cellular oxidation, and supports collagen/myelin synthesis; deficiency is an economically important problem in cattle, influenced by molybdenum and sulfate levels.

Selenium & Vitamin E

Two micronutrients that work together as biological antioxidants, protecting cells, especially cardiac and skeletal muscle, from oxidative damage.

Iodine (Goiter)

A trace mineral that helps synthesize thyroid hormones; deficiency or excess can lead to goiter (abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland), especially in neonatal ruminants and foals.

Chelated Minerals

Trace minerals bound to an organic molecule, which generally results in better absorption by the animal, particularly if inhibitors are present; they are more expensive and carry a higher risk of toxicity.

Non-Chelated Minerals

Minerals whose requirements are well understood and are generally inexpensive; commonly added to diets.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamins (A, D, E, K) that are absorbed with fats and stored in the body's fatty tissues and liver.

Water-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamins (B complex and C) that function as co-enzymes; body stores are typically low, so deficiencies can develop quickly (except for Vitamin B12).

Vitamin A (Retinol)

A fat-soluble vitamin essential for vision, reproduction, protein synthesis, and regulation of skin/hair growth; cats require pre-formed Vitamin A.

Vitamin A Toxicity in Cats

Caused by consuming large amounts of beef liver, leading to reduced growth, skeletal malformations (boney exostoses), and soreness.

Vitamin D (Calciferols)

A fat-soluble vitamin crucial for the absorption of calcium from the GI tract, optimizing calcium/phosphorus absorption from bone, and reducing their loss in urine.

Vitamin D Toxicity

The most toxic vitamin; excessive supplementation can elevate blood calcium and phosphate, leading to unnatural mineralization in soft tissues (heart, kidneys) and organ failure.

Vitamin E

A fat-soluble vitamin that acts as a biological antioxidant, working synergistically with selenium to protect cells, especially cardiac and skeletal muscle.

Vitamin K

A fat-soluble vitamin that is a cofactor for enzymes involved in blood clotting factor production, protein metabolism, and calcium binding to bone; deficiency can lead to bleeding problems.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

A water-soluble B vitamin, a coenzyme for glucose use in ATP production; high requirement in cats, and deficiency can cause polioencephalomalacia in ruminants or neurological signs in cats.

Vitamin B7 (Biotin)

A water-soluble B vitamin essential for the catabolism of glucose, fatty acids, some amino acids, and synthesis of other fatty acids; important for healthy skin, coat, and nervous system.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

A water-soluble B vitamin, a coenzyme in many biochemical reactions, primarily involved in protein synthesis and red blood cell production; its synthesis by ruminal bacteria requires cobalt.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

A water-soluble vitamin that neutralizes free radicals, regenerates Vitamin E, and metabolizes iron; normally synthesized in the liver by dogs and cats, but required in the diet for primates, guinea pigs, and fruit bats.

Water

The most important nutrient, a macronutrient required in large amounts, participating in all major physiological functions, dispersing nutrients/waste, regulating temperature, and lubricating joints.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS/Salinity)

The most useful overall indicator of mineral content in water, affecting water intake and animal performance.

Sulfate Toxicity (Water)

High sulfate levels in water can lead to polioencephalomalacia in ruminants (a cerebral cortex disease), particularly when combined with high dietary intake and environmental temperatures.

Nitrate Poisoning (Water/Feed)

A concern for ruminants where rumen flora reduce nitrates to nitrites, leading to methemoglobinemia (chocolate brown blood), which inhibits oxygen transport and can cause dyspnea, cyanosis, and death.

Nutrient-Enriched Water

A novel approach to increase total water intake in animals, particularly cats, by adding palatable nutrients to the water.

Gross Energy (GE)

The total energy content of food, measured by burning to ash (least accurate for animal use).

Digestible Energy (DE)

The amount of energy absorbed from the digestive tract, calculated as Gross Energy minus Fecal energy; used for horse and beef cow rations.

Metabolizable Energy (ME)

The net energy remaining after fecal, urinary, and gas energy losses, representing the energy available for growth, reproduction, and metabolic processes; used in pet foods.

Atwater Factors

A system developed to calculate Metabolizable Energy based on the fat (8.5 kcal/g), protein (3.5 kcal/g), and non-fiber carbohydrate (3.5 kcal/g) components of the diet.

Net Energy (NE)

The energy available to the cells (mainly as ATP), excluding energy lost as heat during absorption, movement, and use of food; very accurate and used in formulating feedlot and dairy cow rations (NEm, NEg, NEl).

Resting Energy Requirement (RER)

The energy needed by a normal adult animal at rest and fed, to maintain body functions and digest food; calculated universally as 70 x (BWkg)^0.75.

Maintenance Energy Requirement (MER)

The Resting Energy Requirement plus an allowance for normal daily activity and variations in individual energy needs.

Daily Energy Requirement (DER)

The total energy requirement for an animal, including Maintenance Energy Requirement plus additional energy for production (e.g., lactation, pregnancy, growth, work).

Herbivore

An animal whose diet consists primarily of plant tissue.

Omnivore

An animal whose diet consists of both plant and animal tissue.

Carnivore

An animal whose diet consists primarily of animal tissue.

Obligate Carnivore

An animal that MUST eat animal tissue.

Hypercarnivore

An animal whose diet is >70% animal tissue.

Mesocarnivore

An animal whose diet is 50-70% animal tissue.

Hypocarnivore

An animal whose diet is <30% animal tissue.