Refined seed oils are AGEing your dog period. They are a silent killer that cause major disease. Examples of these vegetable, nut and seed oils include canola, corn, cottonseed, soy, sunflower, safflower, rapeseed and rice bran and they are found everywhere from fast food restaurants to Michelin-starred restaurants and found in everything from chips, cookies, popcorn, meal replacement shakes, infant formula and your dog's kibble.
Refined seed oils are a result of the Industrial Revolution in 1850, where the ability to mass produce goods shifted the way food was processed, manufactured and then consumed. Keeping costs low and profits high became the priority, even it was at the expense of health, which it is. When it came to the production of food after the Industrial Revolution, industrial oils aka refined vegetable, nut and seed oils, are cheap and used to extend the shelf-life of whatever products they are used in. In order for these seed oils to be consumed, they have to be refined first, which removes "some essential nutrients and often generates other undesirable compounds such as 3-MCPD-esters and trans-fatty acids" according to this 2022 publication. These refined seed oils are AGEing your dog period
These refined seed oils are prepared at extremely highly and repeatedly, which actually cause the oils to deterioate, which increase the AGE count upon consumption. As the oils deteriorate, they become health hazards because they lead to increasing the formation and accumulation of Advanced Glycation End (AGEs) products when consumed. According to this study AGEs are glycotoxins formed by non-enzymatic reaction of reducing sugars with free amino acids of proteins, lipids or DNA" and "the AGEs in diet are believes to contribute significantly to total body pool of AGEs." The more refined seed oils, the more AGES and the more these refined seed oils are AGEing your dog period.
High consumption of AGEs is linked to major metabolic dysfunction and oxidative stress that accumulate in body tissue and cause stress, inflammation and in turn increase the risk of developing disease like cancer, heart disease and diabetes, which are the most common causes of death in adults in the United States. This 2018 article attributes the consumption of vegetable oils as driver of heart disease in humans because of an increased intake of linoleic acid, which is the main omega-6 polyunsaturated fat found in vegetable oils. There is no doubt that the same is true for our dogs. Refined seed oils are AGEing your dog period.
Dr. David Turner, Ph.D, is an AGE expert and 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 that increases awareness about the severity of the consumption of processed foods and their negative health implications. He estimates that "dog food is about 100 times higher in AGEs than human food" and believes high AGE consumption may "reduce our canine companions quality of life and overall lifespan." Any food that is prepared with refined seed oils, like kibble, is also high in AGEs. These refined seed oils are AGEing your dog period.
Here just a few brands and blends that contain refined seed oils:
- Abound, Canned Lamb, Brown Rice & Gravy: sunflower oil
- Cesar Filet Mignon Flavor & Spring Vegetables Garnish Small Breed Dry Dog Food: Soybean meal (by-product of soybean oil)
- Eukanuba Premium Performance 21/13 Sprint Dry Dog Food: Soybean Oil
- Hill's Science Diet Adult 11+ Small & Mini Chicken, Brown Rice & Barley Recipe Dog Food: Soybean Oil
- Iam's Proactive Health Healthy Aging Senior Breed with Real Chicken Dried Dog Food: Soybean Meal (by-product of soybean oil)
- Kibbles' n Bits Original Savory Beef & Chicken Flavors Dry Dog Food: Soybean Meal (by-product of soybean oil)
- Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Reserve Grain-Free Sweet Potato & Venison Recipe Dry Dog Food: Canola Oil
- Nature's Recipe, Canned Original Chicken & Broth: canola oil
- Pedigree Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor Dog Kibble Adult Dry Dog Food: Soybean meal (by-product of soybean oil)
- Purina Pro Plan Adult 7+ Sport Performance 30/17 Chicken & Rice Senior Dog Food: Soybean Oil
- Rachael Ray Nutrish Peak, Canned Chicken & Lamb Grain Free: sunflower oil
- Royal Canin Bulldog Puppy Dry Dog Food: Vegetable oil
- True Acre Foods Grain-Free Beef & Vegetable Dry Dog Food: Canola Meal (by-product of canola oil) & Soybean Meal (by-product of soybean oil)
We at Bobzilla believe that refined seed oils in dog food is not acceptable. We believe that dogs deserve so much better and the only way to do that is to increase awareness about optimal nutrition choices, which does not include kibble. So, we funded Dr. Turner's research on AGEs who is quantifying the amount of AGEs found in popular dog food and scientifically validating that the high consumption of AGEs leads to disease. He is constructing a database of AGE levels in many popular food brands, which will be made publicly available shortly. To learn more about his work, click here and visit the Anti-A.G.E foundation.
If you need some recommendations on what to feed your dog, raw or home-cooked is the way to go.
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