Leaky Gut

Leaky gut, known as increased intestinal permeability, is regarded as a separate phenomenon to “Leaky Gut Syndrome”. Although this is perceived as being a difference in definition – in that there is no scientifically recognised syndrome – the condition of IIP can have ramifications. Read More...

Iron: Its Nutritional Availability & Impact on Horses

Iron has an essential role in the metabolism of all life. It has the ability to form complex chelates (groupings of organic molecules like the heme molecule in blood) across all life forms and in many cases these complexes are ways of locking away its activity. The potential toxicity from iron is a worry to people as iron, changing its form from ferric to ferrous within the body can release free radicals that have a devastating effect on tissue. Read More...

The Role of Nutrition in Immunity

Immunity is a complex system, inter-related with the hormonal physiology of the body, metabolic systems and individual organ function, whose function is to protect the body against any invasion of “alien” components. In some instances, the body mis-recognises food, airborne or injected (bite, sting) protein – usually quaternary structure – as a pathogen, giving rise to allergy. Intolerance is a different issue, usually the deficiency of a digestive enzyme, leading to gut dysfunction; whilst the response of the body’s defence mechanism may show some similarities it is a separate response. Read More...

Curcumin & Piperine

Over recent years there has been a rise in the popularity of turmeric, with a wide range of claimed benefits. Many of these benefits are based on observed results and so are qualitative rather than quantified; many are supported by scientific research, but mostly in the realm of human health. It is probable that some effects are transferrable across species but, as most work has been carried out on cancer and liver disease, it is necessary to be selective in substantiating the effects. Read More...

Joint Supplements: Potential for Harm

Joint supplements can be extremely variable in their make-up. They can be a combination of NSAID, glycosaminoglycans, essential oils, minerals and antioxidants. Although all the components are safe when fed at recommended levels, there is evidence that some components, or combinations, may cause physiological damage when fed at elevated levels. Although not normally of concern, there can be situations when harm can occur. Read More...

Allergy & The Microbiome

Allergies are a range of conditions that can affect the skin, lungs and gut. They are distinguished by being immune-mediated reactions following food intake. This is different from food intolerance that is non-immune mediated. Food allergens are (glyco-)proteins with a molecular weight from 10–70 kDa and are resistant to treatment with heat, acid, and proteases (Verlinden et al, 2006). They exert their effect by impairing the mucosal barrier and reducing oral tolerance, and are mediated through types I, III & IV hypersensitivities. Read More...

PSSM & Muscle Maintenance

Equine exertional rhabdomyolysis syndrome (ERS) commonly affects the athletic breeds of horses. The intermittent syndrome is characterised by stiffness, muscle cramping and pain and is accompanied by mild to markedly elevated plasma activities of the muscle-derived enzymes, creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Although specific causes have been identified there is one sub-condition that appears to be due to malfunction of glycogen storage and release. This is polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM). Read More...

Glutamic Acid

Glutamic acid is a non-essential amino acid, in that it can be synthesised by transamination of ketoglutarate and is one of the most prevalent amino acids in the body. Similarly, it can donate its amino group, releasing α-ketoglutarate which can enter the TCA cycle, and is a major route of oxidation and energy generation in the small intestine; glutamic acid has rapid turnover and a relatively low blood pool, as its utilisation is high. It was assumed that, due to its rapid metabolism, uptake by glutamate was limited to the liver and gut. However, its role as a neuroprotectant, excitatory molecule and taste stimulant (in the free form) are well documented. Read More...

Mineral & Trace Element Absorption Mechanisms

It is known that the mechanism of absorption of minerals and trace elements, both as cations (+ve) and anions (-ve), is by an assisted transcellular route, involving specific and non-specific metal transporter proteins, as well as specific secondary transporters, such as transferrin or albumin.

However, there are other routes of absorption, both in terms of where, and how. Although the majority of mineral/t.e. absorption occurs in the small intestine, significant amounts can be absorbed across the rumen/forward fermentation chambers, smaller amounts in the large intestine. Read More...

The Impact of Wheat By-Products on Horses

There is a marketing trend that declares a ration that is cereal grain free/whole soya free/Lucerne free, or free from another material that some people may perceive as a problem in equine nutrition. In some cases, a close inspection shows that a by-product of those materials is present. It is not intended to mislead, feeding soya hulls removes the allergenic globular protein of the seed and so can be regarded as a separate product, and cereal bran is assumed to be fibre, and so beneficial.

But this may not be the whole case; certainly, there are many different carbohydrates that make up plant fibre, and they can impact heavily on the microbial population and the ability of individual species to ferment it, and so influence the ratios of the volatile fatty acids (VFA) that make up the “slow release energy” portion of the diet. Another factor is, depending on the process to separate the bran from the grain, there can be quite a large component of the grain in the bran. Read More...

Probiotics and Prebiotics Part 1

There is much confusion over the definitions, functions and modes of action of both pro- and pre- biotics. Ultimately, they play a role in adjusting, or maintaining, the natural microbial populations in gastrointestinal tract; this may have implications on gut health, nutrient availability and digestion and the immunological status of the host animal. Although probiotics and prebiotics are markedly different products, the end results of their activities can be the same. Read More...

Albumin - The Importance of Quality Protein in Animal Feed

The albumins are a family of globular proteins which include serum albumin, ovalbumin, lactalbumin (storage proteins of egg and milk) and seed proteins, of which hemp is a particularly rich source. Albumin is the main circulating protein in the body; it accounts for ~ 50% of plasma protein. It is a relatively small molecule being a single chain of 585 amino acids. It contains 35 cysteine molecules, 34 of which pair off with disulphide bonds which stabilise the shape into a globular, heart-shaped conformation. Read More...

Vitamin D in Animal Health

O’Brien and Jackson (2012) reviewed 25(OH)D and its mechanism in immunity, both in innate and adaptive immunity. Vitamin D3, cholecalciferol, is hydroxylated in the liver to Calcidiol – 25(OH)D, and it is this form that is bound with D Binding Protein (DBP). The activated DBP can bind to Vitamin D Receptors (VDR), which are present in the nuclei and plasma of all cells. Binding to the genome – DNA material – is the pathway of calcium homeostasis and cytokine production, whilst intracellular sites involve immunomodulatory and other physiological functions, such as hypertension and diabetes. It is thought that this partition of routes explains the discrepancy of recommendations between deficiency and sufficiency, and actual dietary levels of cholecalciferol to impact on immunity are difficult to assess. Read More...

Glucosamine & Chondroitin or Hyaluronic Acid?

There are many joint supplements on the market, for both humans and companion animals. Products designed for helping maintain the joints are probably the single most popular supplement although they are used for a variety of reasons; from easing stiffness up to “treating” osteoarthritis. Although there are many different ingredients – green lipped mussel, hyaluronan, avocado soya unsaponified, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, minerals, herbal extracts etc. – most joint supplements are built around glucosamine and chondroitin. So, what are they? And why do they seem to be a positive combination? Read More...

Muscle Maintenance

When striated muscle undergoes high levels of work there is physical damage. Strength conditioning results in an increase in muscle size, which is largely the result of increased contractile proteins. Muscle contraction – concentric contraction – matches muscle elongation in a paired system and this is eccentric muscle contraction. This elongation produces ultrastructural damage and stimulates increased muscle protein turnover (Evans 1991). Read More...

Hempseed Meal

Earlier articles have concentrated on the role of hemp oil, both as a component of the Oatinol Delivery System and its unique fatty acid profile supplying a beneficial ω-6:ω-3 ratio as well as significant quantities of stearidonic acid (C18:4 ω-3 - SDA) and ϒ-linolenic acid. These characteristics have a significant impact in anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory processes, and possibly diverts us away from many other positive benefits of using hempseed meal as a feed ingredient. Read More...

The Benefits of Hemp Oil vs. Linseed Meal

There has been much written about the benefits of Omega fatty acids, in particular ω-3 and ω-6. These have been labelled anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory as well as heart healthy; they also have roles in bone metabolism and other aspects of metabolism, including immune and allergenic responses. There is an impression that ω-3 is the main essential fatty acid, followed by ω-6 and then the lesser promoted ω-7 (ω-9 is synthesised from saturated fat in the body and so is not an essential dietary ingredient). Logic then dictates that an oil supplying the most ω-3 is preferable in animal nutrition. Read More...

Omega Oils - What Do They Really Mean?

Omega oils first appeared in the national consciousness as unsaturated fats, graduated into “heart healthy” fats, and now omega-3 or 6. But what are they? Where do they come from and how do they work? Fat, or oil, is a broad term covering a group of nutrients called the lipids. Lipids consist of two main parts, the base and the fatty acid. In most cases the base is glycerol and it attaches to three fatty acid chains to form a triglyceride. Variations are phospholipids, where the central fatty acid is replaced by a phosphate group, glycolipids – with carbohydrate linkages – etc. Read More...

Vitamin D in Alpacas. Injections, Paste or Other?

Rickets has been seen as being a problem, mainly in cria, but also in older animals. It has been put down to the fact that during winter, vitamin D generation is reduced in temperate parts of the world because of lower intensity light and shorter days than would be experienced in native countries. The solution has been to give susceptible animals vitamin D, or multivitamin, injections periodically throughout the winter months. Some people have seen signs of abscesses from repeated injections and prefer fortnightly pastes, but the concept of intermittent treatment has been well accepted. Is this necessary? Wouldn’t daily intake, as part of the normal diet, be as effective and more easily controlled? Read More...

The Impact of Starch & Sugar in Equine Diets

Not so long ago, feeding starch was seen to be perfectly acceptable, especially in the form of oats. Over recent years the “expert” opinion is that starch and sugar is not to be fed and fibre is the way to go. As with all biological systems, the truth is somewhere in between. What makes it all the more confusing is the relationship between starch, sugars and fibre and the technical terms for them which all seem similar... Read More...

The Role of Nutricines in Health & Total Nutrition

Feed is more than a supply of nutrients. It is also inextricably linked to disease avoidance and health maintenance. Feed is an enormous collection of different molecules which can be classified into two major groups; nutrients and nutricines. Nutrients are the generally recognised components of feed such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins. Nutricines are components of feeds that exert an influence upon health and nutrition, yet are not direct nutrients. Important nutricines are antioxidants, antimicrobial compounds, non-digestible oligosaccharides, enzymes, emulsifiers, flavours and colours. Read More...

The Oatinol^® Delivery System™

The gastro-intestinal tract is an organ whose function is to process food into biochemical compounds that can be metabolized to produce energy, growth and support all life processes. It uses various methods, from mechanical (chewing) to chemical (enzymatic breakdown) to symbiotic (bacterial fermentation) in order to breakdown food into less complicated nutrients that are then able to be absorbed across the gut wall and taken into the body to be metabolised. Read More...

Ulceration of the Horse's Gastro-Intestinal Tract

It’s thought that 25-50% of foals and 60-90% of performance horses have ulcers. It is likely, due to the probably causes of ulceration, that many leisure horses also suffer from the condition. In its worst case ulceration can also occur in the horse’s gullet and further down the intestine from the stomach, and may be differentiated, clinically by vets, under different names. But they all have a common starting point and this involves disruption of the normal function of the stomach. Read More...

Beta-Glucans. What Do They Do?

Biochemically the name of a product tends to describe it. A product ending in ‘ans’ means it consists of a limited number of the same sugar molecule (in this case glucose) in some form of chain which may or may not be soluble. Sugar molecules can have isomers – that is, versions where the arrangement of molecules is slightly different. For glucans the main isomers are alpha (dextrose, glycogen, starch), or beta (cellulose, laminarin, cereal or yeast β-glucans). Read More...