IMPORTANCE OF ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL Alpha-Tocopherol is the only form of Vitamin E with a transporting enzyme, allowing it to pass through the liver and, via blood, go to other cells. Other forms are broken down, eliminated in urine or manure or converted to Alpha-Tocopherol. In nature, the Alpha-Tocopherol portion is often only 10-15% of the total Vitamin E in the oil of the plant, but it’s the one that counts. Oils from Wheat Germ and Soy have large amounts of Alpha- Tocopherol but adding raw oil will not help your horse’s Vitamin E levels. Why? The Alpha-Tocopherol is very susceptible to heat, oxygen, and light – even fluorescent light will quickly destroy it. Just opening the bottle of oil would expose it to air and destroy most or all the Alpha-Tocopherol.
Alpha-Tocopherol is the only form stored for a small period in tissue, the only form metabolized by the liver, and the one with the most biological antioxidant action, so this is the form your horse needs. Supplements with lots of Gamma-, Delta-, or Beta- Tocopherol are not going to help. Pure plant oils may have good amounts of omegas but are poor Vitamin E sources.
How Much Vitamin E Does a Horse Need? The amount depends on several factors. The more the horse is exercised, the more Vitamin E is needed due to more free radicals being produced; hence more Vitamin E is used up to protect cell membranes. • To survive: 1000-2000 units (IU) a day
• Engaging in regular exercise: 5000 units a day
• Neurological problems like EPM, EDM, and EMND, PSSM: 10,000 units a day
• Broodmares: 5000 units a day • Older (20+) or Cushing’s horses: 5000 units a day
Horses have no toxicity problem with Vitamin E even at very high levels, making it the safest vitamin to supplement.
Holistic Horse™ • August/September 2012 • Vol.19, Issue 80
www.holistichorse.com | 5
BEWARE SELENIUM Several products on the market with Vitamin E also contain selenium. To get sufficient levels of Vitamin E, and avoid selenium toxicity, you need an all-Vitamin E supplement with no selenium. Many areas of the US are selenium deficient and horses do need Vitamin E/Selenium combined products or selenium in grain mixes (Selenite). Generally, these products have very little Vitamin E and you will need to add an all-Vitamin E product.
Vitamin E is absorbed better with a meal, so add it into the grain mix – most grain mixes have at least 5% fat which is good because a little fat in the diet helps Vitamin E absorption. (Lots of fat in cups of oil added to the diet will block Vitamin absorption.)
LABEL LANGUAGE Equine and human Vitamin E supplements are semi-synthetic. Some will be labeled “natural” but even continued on p. 6 „„
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