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Vitamins and Minerals in Feline Nutrition

by Ch. M. Ruessheim

 

The term vitamin is derived from the words vital and amine, because vitamins are required for life and were originally thought to be amines. Although not all vitamins are amines, they are organic compounds  distinct from fats, carbohydrates, and proteins and are required by humans and animals  in small amounts from the diet. An organic compound is considered a vitamin if a lack of that compound in the diet results in overt symptoms of deficiency and if it is not synthesized by the host in amounts adequate to meet normal physiological needs.
However: some compounds are vitamins only for some species and not for others, and some compounds are vitamins only under specific dietary or environmental conditions.

Thirteen substances or groups of substances are now generally recognized as vitamins.. The two types of vitamins are classified by the materials in which they will dissolve: Fat-soluble vitamins - vitamins A, D, E and K - dissolve in fat before they are absorbed in the blood stream to carry out their functions. Excesses of these vitamins are stored in the liver or in fat tissue. Because they are stored, they are not necessarily needed every day in the diet.

By contrast, water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and are not stored; they are eliminated in urine. We need a continuous supply of them in our diets. The water-soluble vitamins are the B-complex group and vitamin C. Water-soluble vitamins are easily destroyed or washed out during food storage or preparation. Proper storage and preparation of food can minimize vitamin loss.

In the past, most scientific research on the optimum intake of specific vitamins examined only the prevention of deficiency symptoms. Presently scientists are examining the potential for specific vitamins to prevent and treat disease, as well as to enhance physical and mental health and performance.

 

Fat soluble Vitamins

 

Water soluble Vitamins

Minerals are elements that originate in the Earth and cannot be made by living systems. Plants obtain minerals from the soil, and most of the minerals in our diets come directly from plants or indirectly from animal sources. Minerals may also be present in water, but this varies with geographic locale. Minerals from plant sources may also vary from place to place, because soil mineral content varies geographically.

In the body, minerals play a number of vital roles. Several mineral elements are necessary to maintain the structural integrity of bones and teeth, while others are required for enzyme activity and numerous essential biological processes. Nonetheless, minerals constitute only a small fraction of the body weight and this fraction reflects the quantity needed in the diet. Minerals make up about 4% of an animal's total body weight, most of which is comprised of the macrominerals calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur and the electrolytes sodium, potassium and chloride.  Dietary requirements for macrominerals are best expressed as a percent (parts per hundred or g/kg)), whereas trace minerals are needed only as parts per million (ppm or mg/kg) in the diet.

All forms of living matter require inorganic elements, or minerals, for their normal life process. In practical nutrition, the term mineral is generally used to denote all the mineral inorganic elements. But, not all the elements are minerals (for example carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen), and minerals frequently found as salts can be a combination of different inorganic elements. The mineral elements are solid, crystalline, chemical elements that cannot be decomposed or synthesized by ordinary chemical reactions. The common method of determining the total mineral or inorganic content of feeds consists merely of measuring the total ash remaining after high-temperature burning of the organic matter.

 

Macro Minerals

  • Chlorine (Cl)

 

Trace Minerals

  • Iron (Fe)

  • Zinc (Zn)

  • Copper (Cu)

  • Manganese (Mn)

  • Iodine (I)

  • Selenium (Se)

 

                                                     

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Copyright © Ch. M. Ruessheim, 2001-2002. All Rights reserved.