From the point of view of digestion and absorption, dietary fiber can be divided into soluble and insoluble:
Soluble fibers mainly include mucus, carrageenan and hydroxymethylated cellulose, which become gel after absorbing water. This dietary fiber is soluble in water, so it is also a plant-derived carbohydrate that is easy to digest and absorb. On the one hand, their function is to slow down the emptying of food in the stomach, and on the other hand, to speed up the passage of food through the small intestine, thus slowing down the digestion and absorption of nutrients in food.
Insoluble dietary fiber mainly includes cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, and mainly comes from whole wheat flour, bran, grains and vegetables. The structure of these fibers cannot be decomposed by digestive enzymes in the small intestine, so they will not be digested and absorbed. Among them, grains and bran have little effect on the digestion and absorption of food nutrients, but they will increase the amount of defecation.
How is dietary fiber digested in the body? Bacteria in the large intestine decompose a part of dietary fiber through fermentation to form short-chain fatty acids including acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid. These short-chain fatty acids do not directly participate in the energy supply of the body, but provide energy for intestinal epithelial cells and promote the absorption of salt and water by the colon.
The effect of dietary fiber on dogs Dogs living in the wild generally don't need a lot of dietary fiber. But for domestic pet dogs, dietary fiber has its special uses, such as promoting defecation, increasing satiety and promoting weight loss. Diet of diet dogs can contain relatively more dietary fiber, which can not only reduce the digestion and absorption rate of nutrients, but also alleviate the hunger of diet pets.
What needs to be remembered is that everything has gone too far. Excessive intake of dietary fiber will reduce the digestion and absorption rate of protein, carbohydrate and fat, and then affect the absorption of some vitamins and minerals, which may lead to malnutrition in pet dogs. More than the required fermentation fiber produces a large number of short-chain fatty acids, which will cause diarrhea in pet dogs.
One or more of the above dietary fibers are added to the industrial dog feed. Fresh food made from human daily food for dogs generally contains no more than 1.4% dietary fiber. If necessary, dietary fiber can be increased by adding relatively more vegetables, beans or grains with bran.