Revealing the Link of Equine Metabolic Conditions Like Laminitis…
Metabolic imbalance in horses has been on the rise for many years now. The general term of Equine Metabolic Disease is often utilized and can include varying stages of Cushings syndrome, Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), insulin resistance (IR), hypothyroidism, founder, or laminitis in horses.
There are various contributing factors that must be considered from environmental, diet, exercise, lifestyle, and genetic predisposition. Yet there is one major hidden connection to explore and understand when looking to support the homeostasis of your horse’s metabolic health and all-encompassing function of the endocrine system.
When you explore sites like the ECIR Group or The Laminitis Site they extensively cover the factors mentioned above as what causes laminitis in horses and other metabolic conditions. They also go more in-depth into what is laminitis in horses. The favorite focus often is nutrition and rightfully so! Yet even the most species-appropriate, nutrient balanced diet can fail to deliver results and generate some expensive nutrient-dense manure when the hidden connection of oxidative stress is ignored, resulting in accumulation wreaking havoc on the body.
Oxidative stress is a natural effect of your horse’s body. But in the day and age, we live in of increased toxins and stresses the number of free radical bombardments on your horse’s body is drastically increased. Opening the door to a higher risk of imbalance, causing the cells of your horse’s body to not signal, communicate, and function as they should. Therefore kicking off a ripple effect of concerns in nutrient absorption, improper hormone production, and leading to disruption of the endocrine system; resulting in widespread conditions such as laminitis in horses.
When the cells aren’t communicating and signaling as they should no amount of supplementation can reset the disharmony. Traditional allopathic medicines can offset the dysfunction by overriding and taking over certain cell functions, but this will deliver minimal results and is unable to help your horse’s body get back to a state of homeostasis. Meaning prolonging suffering and possible lifelong symptoms of concerns like Equine Cushings Syndrome.
The Connection to Cushings Syndrome and Laminitis Hidden in Plain Sight
You might be skeptical that oxidative stress is truly a well known and researched link to diseases such as laminitis in horses or other equine metabolic diseases… After all, if we know it’s a consistent link wouldn’t there be more education and awareness being raised of how important reducing oxidative stress is to improving and maintaining your horse’s health?
Sadly the answer is no!
Let’s explore just a few references to the connection of high oxidative stress and equine metabolic imbalance.
“Conclusions and potential relevance: The observed abnormalities in glucose metabolism and oxidative stress could potentially contribute to development of laminitis in horses with ECD (Equine Cushing’s Disease aka Cushings Syndrome), by similar mechanisms to those that cause microvascular dysfunction in human diabetics.” ~ PubMed Study 15147129
“Tissue damage caused by oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases in animals and man, and is believed to play a role in the development of laminitis in horses.” ~ PubMed Study 26964719
“A leading theory holds that the neurons are damaged by free radicals, byproducts of the oxidative processes of metabolism that are known to damage cells, proteins and DNA by altering their chemical structure. “It’s possible that horses who get this disease are more susceptible to oxidative stress in this part of the brain,” says Harold Schott, DVM, PhD, an associate professor at Michigan State University who published a study called “The Michigan Cushing’s Project” in 2001. McFarlane agrees: “We haven’t proven oxidative stress causes PPID, but there’s been a strong association of oxidative stress to the neurons in these horses compared to normal aged horses.” ~ Equus Magazine Article Managing Cushing’s Disease in Horses
The more you research and explore, the more connection is revealed! Once you understand there is a clear link between oxidative stress and equine metabolic disease, it becomes crystal clear that you MUST effectively reduce oxidative stress. Traditionally this would be accomplished by increasing a horse’s antioxidant intake… but if you’ve seen the quick video shared on our home page you already know that feeding antioxidants reduces oxidative stress at a 1:1 ratio. That’s like pouring a cup of water on a barn fire.
What we share isn’t to be considered a treatment for laminitis in horses, Cushings Syndrome, or any other disease. Our focus is promoting health and when you utilize the power of Nrf2 activation you can safely, naturally, and drastically reduce oxidative stress by as much as 40% in 30 days! To learn more about how Nrf2 activation may support your horse’s metabolic and endocrine health… get back to the person that shared the Health Activated Horse page with you.
If you need assistance in finding out who that was or you discovered this page on your own… click here and one of our friendly consultants will be in touch to tell you more about how Nrf2 activation works in overcoming equine metabolic imbalances. We understand that selecting the right health-promoting supplements can be overwhelming. Let us support you on the journey to improving your horse’s health.
We want to help you reduce the common contributing factor of concerns like Cushings Syndrome or laminitis in horses… If you have any further questions or want to explore more, join our private Facebook group where you can post questions and connect with other like-minded horse owners on the journey to improving the quality of their horse’s life.
