Kibble is AGEing your dog. We’ve all been told that a yummy bag of kibble (grain free!) is the epitome of nutrition… — only now a study proves that this is not true. Kibble, in fact, based on recent studies done by David Turner, a scientist at Virginia Common Wealth University, is toxic just by the creation process due to being extremely high in AGES (advanced glycation end products). Kibble is so high in AGES that it can be deadly over time. That’s every single brand of kibble and some are way worse than others. Kibble is AGEing your dog.
Aging is inevitable, but are lifestyle factors including exercise and particularly diet accelerating this process? The answer is yes if they are fed a diet largely comprised of kibble. "The high heat, dehydration, and irradiation practices used during cooking and food manufacturing cause the chemical reactions between sugars fats and proteins to occur much more rapidly. This significantly increases the levels of AGE. formation particularly in processed foods," like kibble. (Source: Anti-A.G.E Foundation)
In order to create kibble one must cook protein, sugars (carbs) and fats at 400 degrees to bind together and make little pellets. The moment this “bond” happens a Maillard reaction takes place, and creates a carcinogen called Acrylamide, which are advanced glycation end products, or AGEs AGEs are also referred to as glycotoxins because they cause major oxidation in the body. Consumption of any kind of AGEs has been proven to affect the mitochondria of cells, or the "powerhouse of cells," which are organelles within body cells that convert food to usable energy.
Mitochondria alteration plays a central role in metabolic dysfunction and oxidative stress that accumulates in the body tissue and causes stress and increased inflammation, which increases the risk of developing diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes, which are the most common cause of death in adults in the United States. Unfortunately, all of these diseases are increasing steadily amongst dogs and accepted as a normal part of the aging process, when in fact, they are not. Kibble is aging your dog.
According to this study, "The formation of AGEs is a part of normal metabolism, but if excessively high levels of AGEs are reached in tissues and the circulation they can become pathogenic. The pathologic effects of AGEs are related to their ability to promote oxidative stress and inflammation by binding with cell surface receptors or cross-linking with body proteins, altering their structure and function." This is a scientific way of saying that the consumption of too many AGEs, which the amounts are insanely high in most kibble, leads to disease in our dogs. It is no coincidence that disease rates are skyrocketing. This is why. Kibble is aging your dog.
The good news is the more we can restrict the consumption of AGEs, and according to the same source above, we can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress and "delay chronic diseases and aging in animals."
How do you know if a particular food is high in AGEs?
The truth is you don't. We know that anything produced at a very high heat, has crappy ingredients and is ultra-processed is probably very high in AGEs, but we don't know the exact amount.
We, at Bobzilla wanted to change this and redefine how animal lovers select the kind of food to give to their companions and teach people how to make the best and healthiest choices for their beloved dogs.
So, we funded the research of Dr. David Turner, Ph.D. to analyze AGE levels found in popular kibble, wet food, homemade and raw. Dr. Turner and his team are compiling their findings into a massive database that will be made public soon. This way, consumers will know exactly how many AGEs are found in each particular brand and variety of dog food and decide what is best for their dog.
Dr. Turner is an expert on AGEs and is a member of the Massey Cancer Center research team at Virginia Commonwealth University, vice Chair of Research & Innovation of the Cancer Prevention and Control research program and founder of the Anti-A.G.E Foundation, a non-profit organization which spreads awareness about the severity of processed foods and their impact on our health and lifespan.
Dr. Turner and his team have estimated that "dog food is about 100 times higher in AGEs than human food,” and and believes that this may "reduce our canine companions quality of life and overall lifespan."
With the information stored in this database, we believe animal lovers will be able to make the healthiest nutritional choices possible and improve the quality of life and lengthen their dogs' overall lifespan because we don't want kibble to age your dog.
Please Watch:
Our goal at Bobzilla.org is to fund studies and scientists like David Turner. We must support those who do the research that actually benefits our pets, pharmaceutical and dog food companies have no incentive to do research that benefit pets. One way we can protect our animals is by funding studies and pushing for truth not profit, making it difficult to change the narrative to false facts. You can make a profit without hurting animals. Luckily companies like PETCO are getting much more into wellness and less into sickness.
Donate to Bobzilla.org
$5.00
The veterinary business is business which is not in the business of curing your animal, but Bobzilla's business is. Bobzilla is committed to one hundred percent transparency in all of its scientific research into animal wellness and prevention of disease and one… read more
