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food for thought

fishgeek

New Member
Messages
980
Location
london uk
can anyone give me some links/advice data on nutritional breakdown of certain live foods

i know i have read repeatedly that whiteworm is fatty , where does this fat come from ?
to me logicaly earthworms should be pretty much just a muscular tube and are whiteworms not a small earhtworm of sorts?

if fed on oats then rutin in oats is supposed to be very ood at lower cholesterol in humans

these things have just got me thinking

andrew
 

fishgeek

New Member
Messages
980
Location
london uk
thanks rob , not much there yet
i was after some proven scietific analysis as i have 'andrew logic' issue's with some statements i see about food

andrew
 

Nebraska_cichlids

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
473
Location
Lincoln, Nebraska
Andrew,
I'm a nutritionist and molecular biologist by training and can't resist making some comments in response to your post. I always find it amazing to see all the health claims that are made for certain foods (in humans, that is). You'd be surprised to see how much funding goes into research of human nutrient requirements (millions of $$ per year) and how many uncertainties we still face with regard to metabolism and requirements of many nutrients. Obviously, almost no funding goes towards nutrient requirements of tropical fish, causing a significant lack of knowledge in this area. I think you want to be very cautious when evaluating claims associated with certain foods.
I give you two examples:
Some manufacturers claim that supplementation of diets with vitamin C (ascorbic acid) will benefit your fish because vitamin C is a well-known anti-oxidant. Reality is that almost all species can make their own vitamin C in the cells of their bodies (humans and guinea pigs being notable exceptions). The only way these species can benefit from vitamin C in their diets is if this vitamin prevents oxidative damage of other nutrients in the diet during storage.
Some foods are supplemented with color-enhancing carotenoids such as beta carotene. Yes, these compounds have the potential to produce nice colors (and they may act as antioxidants). Reality is, though, that many species don't absorb these carotenoids from the intestine (gut) into the blood stream, or they break down these compounds as soon as they enter intestinal cells. There are huge species-to-species variations in carotenoid metabolism, and your favorite cichlid may or may not benefit from getting supplemental carotenoids.

I think you are much better off to determine whether your favorite cichlid is a herbivore (plant eater), carnivore (meat eater), or omnivore (plant and meat eater), and feed a mixed diet based on this preference. By "mixed" I mean you should use foods from various manufacturers, just in case the formula of one of the manufacturers is way off the actual nutrient requirement. (By feeding a diverse diet the average nutrient intake will probably work out okay.)
Sorry for being wordy & hope this helps!
 

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