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Journal of veterinary internal medicine2014; 29(1); 299-306; doi: 10.1111/jvim.12488

Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation provides an additional benefit to a low-dust diet in the management of horses with chronic lower airway inflammatory disease.

Abstract: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) may benefit humans and animals with chronic inflammatory diseases. Objective: Omega-3 PUFA supplementation improves clinical signs, lung function, and airway inflammation in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD). Methods: Eight research horses and 35 client-owned horses. Methods: A pilot study examined the dose of PUFA that can alter plasma PUFA composition. Then, a randomized, controlled clinical trial was performed in horses with RAO and IAD. Horses were fed a complete pelleted diet with no hay and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 daily treatments for 2 months: 30 or 60 g of the supplement or 30 g of placebo. Clinical signs, lung function, plasma PUFA composition, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology were evaluated. Data were expressed as median (25-75th percentiles). P < .05 was considered significant. Results: Polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation resulted in increased plasma docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that peaked at 4 weeks. Clinical improvement was noted in all horses involved in the clinical trial, but the group that received PUFA had greater improvement in clinical signs (cough score improved 60%), lung function (respiratory effort decreased 48%), and BALF (neutrophils decreased from 23 to 9%) when compared to placebo (cough score improved 33%, respiratory effort decreased 27%, BALF neutrophils increased from 11 to 17%; P < .05). Conclusions: Feeding horses with RAO and IAD a PUFA supplement containing 1.5-3 g DHA for 2 months provides an additional benefit to low-dust diet.
Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2014-10-10 PubMed ID: 25307169PubMed Central: PMC4858086DOI: 10.1111/jvim.12488Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research suggests that supplementing horses’ diets with Omega-3 fatty acid could help manage chronic lower airway inflammatory diseases. The study found that, when combined with a low-dust diet, horses suffering from chronic respiratory diseases experienced significant improvements in their symptoms.

Research Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate the complementarity of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) supplementation in the management of horses suffering from recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD). The researchers hypothesized that integrating a specific amount of PUFA in their daily meals could significantly improve clinical signs, lung functions, and airway inflammation.

Methodology

  • The study involved eight research horses and 35 client-owned horses. Initially, a pilot study was carried out to determine the right amount of PUFA that could alter plasma PUFA composition.
  • Following that, a randomized controlled test was conducted, in which horses were kept on a diet of complete pellets with zero hay. These horses were segregated into three groups, each subject to a different treatment for two months: 30g or 60g of the supplement, or 30g of a placebo.
  • The study monitored several parameters such as clinical signs, lung function, plasma PUFA composition, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology to measure the impact of the treatments.

Results

  • The study found that PUFA supplementation led to an increase in plasma docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels, which hit their peak after four weeks.
  • While all horses on the clinical trial displayed some level of improvement, the group on PUFA supplements showed more substantial progress in terms of reduced coughing (improvement by 60%), improved lung function (reduction in respiratory effort by 48%), and decreased BALF neutrophils (from 23% to 9%).
  • The placebo group also showed improvement; however, the effect wasn’t as pronounced, with cough score only improved by 33%, respiratory effort decreased by 27%, and BALF neutrophils increasing rather than decreasing (from 11% to 17%).

Conclusions

The research concluded that giving horses with RAO and IAD a PUFA supplement that contains 1.5-3g DHA per day for two months could add a significant benefit to a low-dust diet. However, further research may be needed to understand the optimal dosage and other potential benefits or side-effects of such dietary supplements in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Nogradi N, Couetil LL, Messick J, Stochelski MA, Burgess JR. (2014). Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation provides an additional benefit to a low-dust diet in the management of horses with chronic lower airway inflammatory disease. J Vet Intern Med, 29(1), 299-306. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.12488

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 29
Issue: 1
Pages: 299-306

Researcher Affiliations

Nogradi, N
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
Couetil, L L
    Messick, J
      Stochelski, M A
        Burgess, J R

          MeSH Terms

          • Animal Feed / analysis
          • Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
          • Animals
          • Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
          • Chronic Disease
          • Dietary Supplements
          • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
          • Dust
          • Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / administration & dosage
          • Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / pharmacology
          • Female
          • Horse Diseases / drug therapy
          • Horses
          • Inflammation / veterinary
          • Lung Diseases, Obstructive / drug therapy
          • Lung Diseases, Obstructive / veterinary
          • Male
          • Pilot Projects

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          Citations

          This article has been cited 18 times.
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