This week we have had several calls regarding whether or not our diets have an adequate level of taurine. It is important to understand the function of taurine and the importance of taurine in the body.
Taurine is found in most body tissues and fluids as a free amino acid. In the heart muscle, taurine increases the calcium available for contractions. Taurine has been considered an effective therapy for congestive heart failure. It is not found in plant foods but is found in adequate quantities in raw meat. One reason that taurine has been found to be deficient in processed foods is because it is readily denatured by cooking and processing.
Unfortunately, cats do not synthesize taurine and so they must consume it in their diet. The retina contains one of the highest concentrations of taurine in the body. In cats, when the retina has been depleted to about one-half it’s normal taurine content, changes happen to the photoreceptor cells which can then result in permanent retinal degeneration.
Taurine also comprises more than 50 percent of the total free amino acid pool in the heart. This deficiency explains why cats are prone to cardiomyopathy.
A raw food diet (The BARF DIET) with all the nutrients in their natural synergistic state will help to prevent heart disease and the majority of all other diseases. With results like this – why feed a dry, heat processed food?