Tag Archive for: antioxidants

The Bottom Line on Cats and Dogs and Supplements

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One of my all-time favorite movie lines is by Bill Murray’s character in the original Ghostbusters. He goes on a rant about the coming plague of ghosts and says “…dogs and cats living together…” It’s the delivery more than the words, but it still makes me laugh. I often blurt it out when people talk about all the things that could go wrong if X happens.

I decided to search the literature for specific supplements that can benefit cats and dogs, whether they live together or not. There’s no research on multivitamins-multiminerals per se, although there’s some info on the use of vitamins and minerals as additives to food.

Cats and Supplements

There are two primary areas of research on supplements in cats. The first is the amino acid taurine and the other is joint issues. The lack of taurine in a cat’s diet can result in compromised immune systems, eye problems including blindness, deafness, cardiomyopathy and heart failure, and reproductive issues. Researchers have found that taurine supplementation can increase the taurine level in a cat’s cardiac tissue. One more thing: soy interferes with taurine absorption or utilization, so make sure that the food you feed your cat is soy-free.

The other issue is joint problems such as arthritis. In research on cats, the same blends used in humans that consist of glucosamine, chondroitin, Boswellia, and fish oil help alleviate pain as assessed by owner and veterinarian pain evaluations.

Dogs and Supplements

The big issue with dogs is joint problems such as osteoarthritis. Research shows that the same nutrients recommended for cats and humans are appropriate for dogs: glucosamine, chondroitin, Boswellia, and fish oil. When it comes to amino acids, dogs require 10 essential amino acids to be healthy. While they can get that from vegetarian protein, research shows that dogs can smell it when meals don’t contain all the essential amino acids and will avoid them. That’s some sniffer dogs have!

In the category of interesting research, the amino acid l-arginine together with antioxidants has been shown to benefit dogs with memory issues. Also medium-chain triglycerides are being tested in epileptic dogs to see if the supplement can help reduce seizures. Maybe a teaspoon of coconut oil every day can benefit these dogs—there’s no harm in it while waiting for the research to be completed.

The Bottom Line

We love our cats and dogs and want them to being as healthy as they can be. Targeted supplementation for specific issues is certainly warranted, and it’s probably good to use the same recommendations for us humans and for our best friends: eat better, eat less, and move more. You’ll both be healthier for it!

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Vet Med Sci. 2019 Aug;5(3):325-335. doi: 10.1002/vms3.1822.
2. J Nutr. 1995 Nov;125(11):2831-7. doi: 10.1093/jn/125.11.2831.
3. Am J Vet Res. 1992 Feb;53(2):237-41.

Supplements: Helpful or Harmful?

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About a week ago when a press release about a study published in the Journal of American Academy of Cardiology stated that vitamins and minerals don’t seem to help the health of those people who use them; they should stick to getting nutrients from the food they eat. As you can imagine, I got questions from many readers.

For those of us who use dietary supplements, have we been wasting our money? Or maybe as part of the study showed, we’re doing ourselves harm? Don’t throw out your supplements just yet.

The study was a meta-analysis that examined randomized controlled trials (RCT) since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Recommendations for Dietary Supplements was published in 2012. They examined RCTs that used multivitamins, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants to determine their affect on health variables related to cardiovascular disease and overall mortality.

Was the study done well? Yes and no. They included RCTs that examined the use of specific supplements and health outcomes. The problem is that they didn’t examine the quality of the supplements used in those studies. That’s a significant problem but not the only one. More on this Saturday. Until then, regardless of the headlines, take your supplements if you know why you’re taking them.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

References: Jenkins, D.J.A. et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;71(22):2570–84.

 

How to Reduce Disease-Related Pain

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The first two memos on pain were relatively easy: joints and nerves. From that point forward, it can get very challenging: Lyme disease, irritable bowel syndrome, shingles—the list of diseases that lead to pain could go on and on. To complicate matters, with the concern over opioid addiction, many people in pain don’t want to even try those medications. What do you do?

The key is to work with your physician and specialists to develop a strategy for pain relief. That will vary by disease. A medication that benefits the nerves for shingles pain may be helped by NSAIDS or other pain relievers, but NSAIDS may not be beneficial for someone with IBS; the absorption of the pain reliever may cause more bowel pain.


Two Strategies to Help

There are two things you can try that may directly or indirectly help with pain. The first is to reduce inflammation and as I mentioned on Tuesday, the supplements that may help are omega-3s, turmeric, and glucosamine. They can help reduce inflammation in more than joints.

The second would be to strengthen the immune system. Lyme disease is bacterial, shingles is a virus, and IBS is an attack on the lining of the intestines. While strengthening the immune system is not directly involved, it may assist the body in dealing with the cause and reduce the pain. To me, that means using probiotics, antioxidants such as vitamin C and E, and using herbs such as echinacea and garlic. As I said, it may not directly affect pain but may indirectly help the body cope with the condition.


The Bottom Line

The two strategies won’t work for every disease. Every form of cancer can result in different pain. Some diseases such as type 2 diabetes can impact the extremities and eyes in ways that require professional guidance. But in general, strengthening the immune system may help over the long term. That also means increasing the intake of vegetables and fruit and getting some exercise within the limitations of the condition. That’s a topic for another time.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Drinking Your Phytonutrients: The Bottom Line

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To finish this series, I’ll briefly cover two recent research studies on coffee and tea, and then give you the bottom line and a recipe.
 
Research
Green Tea and Neuronal Mitochondria
The mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cells, and that includes brain cells. When they operate at peak activity, they provide our brains with the energy for learning and memory. The downside is that they produce many free radicals in the process, and if we don’t have antioxidants to quench those free radicals, it can cause a decline in mental function. Researchers have recently . . .

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Coping with Radiation Damage

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At some point in the future, people are going to look back at this time of cancer treatment as barbaric, but it’s the best we have today and we can’t use undiscovered treatments. However, we can help limit the damage radiation may cause to healthy tissue.

I may sound like a broken record, but it all starts with eating more vegetables and fruit; they contain vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in the proper proportions to help your body. Cruciferous vegetables and berries are better choices but all are great. Green tea has phytonutrients that are beneficial if you can . . .

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Get Ready for the Big Chill

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If you live almost anywhere in the continental U.S. and Canada, you’re in for some chilly weather for the next 10 days at least, so it’s time to boost your immune system for the cold and flu season. Let’s start where your immune system starts and that’s your gut. You guessed it—we’re talking about the microbiome, the 100 trillion or so microbial organisms that live in and on our bodies and contribute to our health.

There are three ways to give your microbiome a boost:

  • Eat more raw vegetables and fruits . . .

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Feeding Kids to Support Their Immune System

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You can probably guess what kids should eat every day to keep their immune systems healthy: foods high in antioxidants, and that’s mainly fruits and vegetables. The research on the benefits to children’s immune system is beyond contestation (one of my favorite words).

Apples, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, and on and on and on. How you present them is up to you. I would avoid fruits juices even if you juice foods at home; you want every vitamin, mineral, and phytonutrient antioxidant you can give them, and the fiber helps feed the good bacteria that are important to the . . .

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