Efficacy of the oral supplement, Equine Omega Complete, for the prevention of gastric ulcers and alpha-tocopherol supplementation in horses.
J Vet Intern Med
; 37(6): 2529-2534, 2023.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37775973
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Omega-3 fatty acid and alpha-tocopherol supplementation reduces gastric ulcer formation in humans and rodents; however, efficacy of prevention in horses is unknown. Equine Omega Complete (EOC) is an oral supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE:
Determine if EOC supplementation prevents gastric ulcers and increases serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations in healthy horses. ANIMALS Nine thoroughbred geldings; 5-13 years old.METHODS:
Prospective randomized block design, repeated in crossover model. Horses were administered EOC, omeprazole, or water PO for 28 days. Horses underwent an established gastric ulcer induction protocol from days 21-28 via intermittent feed deprivation. Gastroscopies were performed on days 0, 21, and 28. Serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations were measured on days 0 and 28. The effects of treatment and time on ulcer grades were assessed with ordinal logistic regression, with significance at P-value <.05.RESULTS:
Ulcer grades increased during ulcer induction in control and EOC but not omeprazole groups (P = .02). Grades increased in EOC-treated horses after ulcer induction from a median of 1 [95% confidence interval 0-2.5] (day 0) to 2.5 [1.5-3.5] (day 28) and were similar to the control group (P = .54). Serum alpha-tocopherol increased in EOC-treated horses from day 0 to day 28 (mean 2.2 ± 0.43 µg/mL to 2.96 ± 0.89 µg/mL; P < .001) with high individual variation; this increase was not different from omeprazole or control groups. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Supplementation with EOC for 28 days did not prevent gastric ulcer formation nor increase alpha-tocopherol concentrations relative to the control group.Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Stomach Ulcer
/
Alpha-Tocopherol
/
Horse Diseases
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
/
Guideline
Language:
En
Journal:
J Vet Intern Med
Year:
2023
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States