The functional foods we consume daily are highly safe based on our eating habits and eating experience, but their effect is not as strong as those of medicine, and are mild-acting, so many of them are taken continuously to prevent diseases and promote health. Also, considering that pets, which have always been by our side during the evolution of mankind, have brought healing to our hearts, and that industrial animals have provided us with benefits such as nutrients, it is no exaggeration to say that human health originates from the health of animals. We have evaluated the usefulness of fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids. Considering modern dietary habits, it is thought that we are taking in too much omega-6 fatty acids, while we are in a state of deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids. In several animal experiments, it has been revealed that a deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids can lead to decreased brain function, allergic symptoms, skin disorders including dry skin, decreased visual function such as dry eyes, and even affect reproductive function to produce the next generation.
To care for and raise newborns, the mother must instinctively show maternal behavior, but about 40% of omega-3 deficient dams showed no interest in their young and abandoned nursing. Furthermore, in a pup retrieval test, it was found that omega-3 deficient dams showed low interest in their young and were less likely to show maternal behavior.
Omega-3 fatty acids are involved in various problems at different life stages, and the time has come to pay close attention to the intake of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet of pets and livestock animals. In addition, it is important to know the ideal intake ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids, which are antagonistic to omega-3 fatty acids, and to improve the practical ability (oil literacy) to bring one's own fatty acid balance closer to the ideal ratio.
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