Antioxidants Beneficial if Not Overdone

Antioxidants like vitamins E and C are beneficial to exercising horses, but only at recommended levels, reported Carey Williams, PhD, equine extension specialist and associate director of the Rutgers University Equine Science Center. Williams presented this information in her talk titled “Antioxidant Research and Its Application to Feeding Horses” at the 2010 Kentucky Equine Resear
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Antioxidants like vitamins E and C are beneficial to exercising horses, but only at recommended levels, reported Carey Williams, PhD, equine extension specialist and associate director of the Rutgers University Equine Science Center. Williams presented this information in her talk titled "Antioxidant Research and Its Application to Feeding Horses" at the 2010 Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Nutrition Conference held April 26-27.

Oxidation is the biochemical process by which energy is created for cells to maintain both integrity and function. When not all of the oxygen is consumed during oxidation, damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced.

"These ROS damage DNA, lipids, and contribute to degenerative changes such as aging and cancer," said Williams. "Antioxidants may prevent damage by scavenging ROS, decreasing the conversion of less reactive ROS to more reactive ROS, assisting the repair of damage caused by ROS, and providing a favorable environment for other antioxidants."

The positive effects of both vitamin E and vitamin C in exercising horses have been reported in athletic horses

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Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

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