Food and behaviour

A "search" through literature and real life.

Nowadays, a frequently heard comment that effects both people and dogs is that diet effects behaviour. We frequently hear that dogs are much more stable, happy and balanced if their diet is changed. Behavioural therapists also increasingly speak of the benefits that ‘people/animals tend to feel much better' after they change their diet. With the help some random ‘food facts' I will try to explain that this is not a coincidence.

Overburdening of the liver
No other organ is a versatile as the liver. It is capable of conducting more than 500 processes simultaneously. In addition to numerous vital functions, the detoxification of the body may be its most important function. Nearly all substances that are absorbed into the blood by the wall of the intestine end up in the liver. The liver stores good substances or processes them, and detoxifies toxins and surplus substances. If too many ‘toxins' and surplus substances are absorbed via the daily intake of food, the liver is constantly working to process these toxins, and this could have a negative impact on other processes. In view of the fact that other processes are also vital, this could cause a permanent situation whereby "the blood contains too many toxins" causing the dog to have a "headache".

The liver can be overburdened as a result of:

  • Too many foreign substances in the food like chemical antioxidants, colourings, aromas and flavourings, but also polymers and free fatty acids (caused by overheating fats). The liver needs to process all these substances.
  • Too much protein in the food in proportion to the available energy. The liver breaks down the surplus protein and converts it into energy. The released nitrogen is transported to the kidneys via the blood, in the form of urea.

The lack and unavailability of essential substances

We are under the impression that, often as a result of the production process, essential substances in food are lost and/or no longer sufficiently available. In our opinion, in addition to overburdening the liver, this is an important factor that influences behaviour. Under the current, most widely applied production method of expanding or extruding dog food, the temperature is increased to over 150 °C.

To illustrate: many of the vitamins of the vitamin B complex are heat sensitive, in addition to being sensitive to light and/or air. A number of these B vitamins have an effect on behaviour.

Vitamins

Vitamin B-1 (thiamine)
Thiamine plays a role in transferring nerve impulses, proper muscle coordination and in maintaining the peripheral nervous system.

The relation between vitamin B1 and behaviour is seen in behavioural factors such as irritability and restlessness. Even minor shortages of vitamin B1 can significantly increase irritability in children, and make them seem restless.

Vitamin B3 (niacin/nicotinic acid)
In addition to digestive problems and skin problems, a small shortage could lead to fearful behaviour, and to fear and depression in children.

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
Pantothenic acid stimulates normal growth and a healthy nervous system. It is needed to convert choline into acetylcholine that is essential for brain functions.

A shortage will lead to greater sensitivity to stress and will cause a person to be more susceptible to (mental) fatigue. A shortage also has an impact on repairing cells.

Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine)
Pyridoxine is essential for a properly functioning metabolism (among others the liver). It plays a crucial role in producing serotonin which effects the functioning of both the brain and the nervous system. This plays an important role in the balance between both cerebral hemispheres (a lack of balance can cause epilepsy).

A shortage can lead to all kinds of psychological complaints. It is important to know that pyridoxine (B6) is the most heat sensitive of all B vitamins. It is destroyed at a temperature of 85-90 °C.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamine)
Cobalamine is crucial for a healthy nervous system. Shortages can lead to brain damage and neurological disorders. An insufficient level of B6 will also disrupt the absorption of B12.

Minerals and trace elements

Next to vitamins of the B complex, there are several minerals and trace elements that also influence behaviour. The two most important ones are:

  • Magnesium
    Although today's food contains sufficient amounts of magnesium, shortages occur more often than assumed. The intestines have difficulty processing magnesium. Even a mild imbalance of the intestinal flora will have a direct influence on the intake of magnesium. Because 98% of the magnesium is contained in the muscles and only 2% in the blood, it is very difficult to prove a shortage. A so-called "diagnostic" dietary change gives the best result in assessing whether the magnesium shortage has an effect on the dog's behaviour.

    Next to "being cramped", "distrust" is one of the main effects that a magnesium shortage has on the body. The shortage causes the dog to be "cramped" whereby it is insufficiently capable of listening and responding to its environment. The dog can also suffer from nervousness and frequently also from ‘unpredictable' behaviour

  • Manganese
    Manganese is an essential trace element that the brain requires to function normally. It plays a role in activating enzymes that are needed to process, among others, vitamin B1 in the body (see above). In the same as with magnesium, for manganese to be properly absorbed by the body, the intestinal flora needs to be balanced. Manganese is an important element in the production of thyroxine, the main hormone that is produced by the thyroid gland. Because manganese has a major effect on muscle reflexes, a shortage will often lead to apathy, listlessness, a slow response and fatigue.

Conclusion

Although there are many different factors that influence behaviour, I have attempted to illustrate how food influences behaviour. Next to the fact that different substances become "inactive" during the production process, we increasingly see and observe shortages occurring in the body as a result of a poorly functioning intestinal flora. Scientific articles also often explain that a good, balanced intestinal flora is essential in order to absorb different substances.

In my opinion, the fact that more "light food" is being offered also has a negative impact on a healthy working intestinal flora. This can cause ‘lazy bowels', which means a too low level of healthy bacteria in the intestinal flora to digest the light food.

Furthermore, we also see that the high temperature of the expansion process causes a lot of the valuable, essential substances to be lost and/or become active. Spraying food with vitamin B complex, for example, has little effect, as most B vitamins are sensitive to light and air, as well as being heat sensitive.

In addition to your pet's general health, to ensure they also enjoy a good ‘mental' health, we recommend the following:

  • Make sure that your pet has a healthy, balanced intestinal flora. This forms the basis for all mental health. For more information on how to achieve this read the article "Stimulating the intestinal flora via the Farm-Food method".
  • Make sure that the pet food contains the lowest possible amount of chemical substances, as this helps the liver. (Farm Food products contain no chemical substances)
  • Give food that contains a higher protein fraction (percentage of energy from protein as part of the total energy) of 25%. This applies to pups and young dogs, and also serves to help the liver.
  • Give pressed pellets like Farm Food HE. The temperature during pressing of the pellets never exceeds around 75 °C (compared to extrusion/expansion), and therefore means that the essential substances in the food remain undamaged.
  • In the event of doubt, apply a "diagnostic" positive change in diet. If you are participating in dog or puppy training, make sure you discuss this with your instructor. Alternatively speak to a dog behavioural therapist.
  • Regularly check your dog's stool. Soft, lightly coloured stool often signals a poorly functioning intestinal flora. If you can easily scoop up the stool and it has a dark colour, this signals that it is healthy.