{"id":407,"date":"2016-05-15T22:52:48","date_gmt":"2016-05-15T22:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nouvelleresearch.j96fp4es-liquidwebsites.com\/2016\/05\/15\/a-tale-of-3-selenium-levels-connection-with-health-and-lameness\/"},"modified":"2021-07-25T12:36:04","modified_gmt":"2021-07-25T17:36:04","slug":"a-tale-of-3-selenium-levels-connection-with-health-and-lameness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nouvelleresearch.com\/index.php\/articles\/407-a-tale-of-3-selenium-levels-connection-with-health-and-lameness","title":{"rendered":"A Tale of 3 Selenium Levels: Connection with health and lameness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Selenium and vitamin E are often two of the most common supplemented antioxidants in horses, often attributed to poor soil conditions and likewise perceived deficiencies in the patient. \u00a0They are both important antioxidants and vital to cellular health, but all too often, we just supplement without justification or even more, we fail to see rationale for the need for supplementation. \u00a0Each horse is different and just because a region is perceived as deficient in selenium or a forage is low in vitamin E, does not always equate to the need for supplementation in every horse. \u00a0We need to look deeper, connect the dots and seek deeper, underlying problems which may be addressed adequately.<\/p>\n

\"Selenium,
Selenium, Horse Health and Lameness<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vitamin E and selenium are both antioxidants found in hay and forage accessible by the horse. \u00a0They are both involved in many cellular processes, aid the body in combating oxidative damage present in everyday life and involved heavily in normal immune function. \u00a0There are several reasons for deficiencies in the equine patient, but not always associated with low levels in forage or hay. \u00a0Unfortunately, a deficient food source is usually blamed for most of the problems, but this is not always the case and may actually NOT be the case in a high percentage of situations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a veterinarian, we look at a lot of bloodwork, which often includes evaluating for things like anemia, which is a low red blood cell count. \u00a0If we have a patient that is anemic, we really have three possible reasons for this; the cells are being lost (bleeding), not being produced or being destroyed. \u00a0We can’t really jump to any conclusion as to the cause, unless there is obvious blood loss, until we do further diagnostic testing.<\/p>\n

This same rationale is true when we look at vitamin E or selenium. \u00a0In many cases, such as neurological problems including Lyme or EPM, vitamin E is part of the therapy in high doses, although many of these patients are never tested to justify this supplementation. \u00a0If we did test a patient, in some cases, we find that they are low in vitamin E, selenium or both. \u00a0So again, just like with red blood cells and anemia, we have a few reasons as to why this could be. The first reason would be a deficient intake or deficient food source. \u00a0The second would be poor gastrointestinal health and low ability to absorb nutrients from the diet. The final reason would be an increased demand, in relation to the level of intake, by the body. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are all familiar with deficient food sources, some regions more prone to this than others.<\/strong> \u00a0But, just because a food source is ‘deficient’, this does not necessarily justify the need for supplementation in a patient unless deficiency is proven by bloodwork. \u00a0It is theoretically possible to induce toxic like states in patients with over supplementation of both vitamin E and selenium, so one has to be careful. \u00a0In reality, antioxidants are best used in combinations, for if we overdose one antioxidant or just focus on one antioxidant, we really could contribute to a oxidative condition. \u00a0Antioxidants help the body to neutralize free radicals by donating an electron, and when this electron is donated, the antioxidant actually becomes unstable and a free radical itself. \u00a0Thus, other antioxidants are needed to help neutralize and recharge that antioxidant to help prevent further damage.<\/p>\n

Digestion is one topic that we have discussed in several articles, ranging from gastric ulcers and heavy use of anti-ulcer medications to leaky gut syndrome.<\/strong> In many of these cases, we actually have underlying inflammation within the bowel, which not only creates issues for the patient, but can decrease the absorptive ability for many nutrients, including vitamin E. \u00a0In one study on Equine Motor Neuron Disease, it was discovered that indeed many of these patients were deficient in vitamin E which justifies supplementation, but what was further interesting was the potential cause of this deficiency. \u00a0It wasn’t really due to a poor food source, but more so to an underlying eosinophilic enteritis or inflammation within the GI tract<\/strong>. \u00a0This inflammatory GI pattern was found in many of these EMND patients and thus believed to be a potential reason as to why they had vitamin E deficiencies, associated with secondary poor absorptive ability. So, this raises the question that we have addressed, in regards to underlying GI disease, inflammation and reduced ability to absorb nutrients.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

The third reason for deficiency in a patient is increased demand by the body in relation to level of intake via the diet.<\/strong> \u00a0We have to remember that both vitamin E and selenium are antioxidants, helping to quench free radicals generated during inflammation and stress in the body. \u00a0The higher the levels of inflammation and stress, the higher the free radicals generated and the higher the need for antioxidants. \u00a0Thus, if a patient is inflammed or stressed, then the need will rise, often exceeding intake. \u00a0However, the mistake we make in these cases is that supplementation of vitamin E or selenium is chosen often as the route of therapy, instead of seeking out the cause for the increased demand and rectifying that situation. \u00a0It is much like a pool that is leaking water. We can choose just to replace or supplement the water OR we can supplement water AND find the leak.<\/p>\n

To demonstrate this, let’s look at three (3) seperate horses, all on the identical diet of alfalfa, whole grains and pasture. In all three horses, full bloodwork was completed along with early morning cortisol, vitamin E and selenium levels.<\/p>\n

Levels of vitamin E and selenium are reported as values and often below ‘normal range’ but determined to be ‘adequate” or “marginal” by the laboratory. In most cases of “adequate” levels, supplementation really does not yield clinical benefits. \u00a0In cases of “marginal” levels, supplementation is questionable but often advised, still not completely certain if supplementation will yield benefits.<\/p>\n

Horse #1<\/strong>: \u00a011 y.o TB gelding, prior eventer retired due to chronic SI injury due to trauma as a yearling. Quiet personality, sound under saddle and currently a low level jumper. \u00a0Supplementation consists of Cur-OST\u00ae EQ Plus daily.<\/p>\n