Tag: Animal physiology

Animal products account for a substantial portion of nutrients in the human food supply, yet the foundation for this quality lies in the intricate biological processes governing animal health. This article delves into what is nutrition in animal physiology, examining how animals take in, process, and utilize food to fuel their life functions and achieve optimal performance.

French physiologist Claude Bernard first identified the animal starch, or glycogen, in 1856. This crucial carbohydrate is stored in the liver of animals and plays a fundamental role in maintaining glucose homeostasis throughout the body.

The total surface area available for nutrient absorption in the small intestine can be equivalent to a tennis court. This remarkable efficiency is central to understanding what is absorption in animal nutrition, the vital process that follows digestion and delivers essential building blocks to an animal's body.

Carnivores like cats and lions consume diets consisting almost entirely of meat, which contains virtually no carbohydrates. But because glucose is an essential fuel for certain bodily functions, especially the brain and red blood cells, they must have a way to generate it internally. The answer lies in a sophisticated metabolic process called gluconeogenesis, which allows these animals to create their own glucose from non-carbohydrate sources.

Did you know that the disaccharide lactose is exclusively produced in the mammary glands of mammals? Understanding where are disaccharides made involves exploring different biological processes in plants, animals, and microorganisms, as well as industrial settings.

While humans and many other animals primarily rely on dietary carbohydrates for glucose, carnivores have evolved unique metabolic adaptations to thrive on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. This specialized physiology allows them to efficiently produce the glucose they need to fuel essential bodily functions, including their brains, without consuming plant-based foods.

Most animals, including the majority of carnivores, have a fascinating metabolic trick that humans lack: they can synthesize their own vitamin C internally. This ability, however, was lost in our evolutionary lineage, raising a common question about how meat-eaters obtain this essential nutrient. The answer is a surprising combination of endogenous production and specific dietary sources.

Nitrogenous waste, a metabolic byproduct containing nitrogen, is formed from the breakdown of proteins and nucleic acids in animals. This waste can be highly toxic and must be removed to maintain the organism's internal stability, a process that has evolved differently across species based on their environment.

The smallest of creatures and the largest of beasts share a common need: to acquire and process food. All animals, from a tiny amoeba to a massive blue whale, undergo the same 5 processes of nutrition in animals—ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation, and egestion—to survive, grow, and thrive.

While many nutrients are vital, a lack of one—water—can lead to death in a matter of days. This stark reality emphasizes why water is arguably the most important essential nutrient in animals, superseding all others for basic survival.