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Efficacy of the oral supplement, Equine Omega Complete, for the prevention of gastric ulcers and alpha-tocopherol supplementation in horses.
Abstract: 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. Objective: Determine if EOC supplementation prevents gastric ulcers and increases serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations in healthy horses. Methods: 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. Conclusions: Supplementation with EOC for 28 days did not prevent gastric ulcer formation nor increase alpha-tocopherol concentrations relative to the control group.
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Publication Date: 2023-09-29 PubMed ID: 37775973PubMed Central: PMC10658587DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16877Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Veterinary
Summary
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The research article investigates the impact of an oral supplement, Equine Omega Complete (EOC), on the prevention of gastric ulcers and supplementation of alpha-tocopherol in horses. It concludes that the supplement did not prevent gastric ulcers nor increased alpha-tocopherol concentrations, compared to the control group.
Objective and Methods of Research
The main objective of the study was to determine the effectiveness of the Equine Omega Complete (EOC) oral supplement in preventing gastric ulcers and increasing serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations in horses.
- Nine thoroughbred geldings aged between 5-13 years were used in the study.
- The experiment was conducted using a prospective randomized block design in a cross-over model.
- The horses were administered either EOC, omeprazole, or water orally for duration of 28 days.
- From days 21 to 28, an established gastric ulcer induction protocol was implemented through intermittent feed deprivation.
- Gastroscopies were performed on the horses on the 0th, 21st, and 28th day, followed by measuring serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations on the 0th and 28th day.
Results of the Study
The study observed that while ulcer grades increased during the ulcer induction period in control and EOC groups, there was no increase in the omeprazole group.
- In the EOC supplemented horses, there was an increase in ulcer grades after the ulcer induction from a median of 1 (with 95% confidence interval 0-2.5) on day 0 to 2.5 (with 95% confidence interval 1.5-3.5) on day 28.
- This increase in ulcer grades in EOC-treated horses was similar to that of the control group, suggesting that EOC did not prevent ulcer formation.
- Interestingly, serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations were found to have increased in EOC-treated horses from day 0 to day 28.
- However, this increase was not different from that noted in the omeprazole group or the control group, indicating that EOC supplementation did not noticeably increase alpha-tocopherol concentrations in the subjects.
Conclusions Drawn
The research concluded that supplementation with Equine Omega Complete (EOC) for 28 days neither prevented the formation of gastric ulcers nor increased alpha-tocopherol concentrations when compared to the control group. This implies a limited effectiveness of EOC for these specific applications within the studied context.
Cite This Article
APA
Williams Louie E, Nieto J, Wensley F, Morgan JM, Finno CJ, Berryhill EH.
(2023).
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.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16877 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA.
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Male
- alpha-Tocopherol / administration & dosage
- alpha-Tocopherol / blood
- Cross-Over Studies
- Dietary Supplements
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horses
- Omeprazole / administration & dosage
- Prospective Studies
- Stomach Ulcer / blood
- Stomach Ulcer / prevention & control
- Stomach Ulcer / veterinary
Grant Funding
- O3 Animal Health
- 3-V435EGW / UC Davis Center for Equine Health
Conflict of Interest Statement
Authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
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