Juvenile animals that do not have access to essential nutrients often experience stunted growth and are more susceptible to sickness, disease, and in extreme cases, death.
Why do animals need nutrients?
Nutrients help break down food to give organisms energy. They are used in every process of an organism's body. Some of the processes are growth (building cells), repair (healing a wound), and maintaining life (breathing).
How do nutrients affect animals?
Food nutrients are utilized as the main energy source by an animal via various processes, including digestion and absorption in the digestive tract, blood transport, and metabolism in the cells. Regulation of animal nutrition is associated with the functions of various tissues and organs in animals.
What can lack of nutrients lead to?
Nutrient deficiencies can also lead to diseases. “For example, calcium and vitamin D deficiencies can cause osteopenia or osteoporosis, two conditions marked by brittle bones,” says Kate Patton, RD, a dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “And inadequate iron can cause anemia, which zaps your energy.”
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