Horse Health Article - Omega 3’s in Horses
What are Omega-3's and how do they benefit the horse?
Are you supplementing your horse for Omega-3's with a plant-based (e.g. Linseed) or fish-based source? Why does it matter?
What are Omega-3’s?
Omega-3’s are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) found in both plants and animal sources. Other fatty acids within this family include Omega-6’s and Omega-9’s.
These fatty acids or PUFA’s are called ‘essential fatty acids’ because mammals cannot produce them, so they have to be consumed through the diet.
Omega-3’s are present in the long-chain form in plant sources, and as the short-chain, active forms (EPA & DHA) in marine-based sources.
What do Omega Fatty Acids do in the body?
All omega fatty acids are broken down into smaller compounds by enzymes in the body. The problem is that the compounds are produced by Omega-6 and Omega-9’s are pro-inflammatory, contributing to inflammation processes within the body.
However, unlike the others, the compounds that are produced by the Omega-3’s are anti-inflammatory, and help to keep the rest of the eicosanoids produced by Omega-6 and Omega-9 in check.
Animal studies have shown improvement in atopic dermatitis (allergic skin disease) in dogs supplemented with Omega-3’s, and horse-specific studies have shown an improvement in lameness scores (Ross-Jones, TN et al.), and improvement in signs of Equine Asthma (Nogradi, N. et al.)
Image: https://examine.com/articles/sneakpeek-erd16/
Why is supplementing your horse with Omega-3 important?
Equine diets are very high in Omega-6 and Omega-9’s (present in high quantities in grass/fodder and grains.)
Many people have heard about the importance of Omega-3’s, and most commonly supplement their horses with Linseed oil, which has Omega-3’s present in the long chain form. However in horses (as well as other animal species) the enzyme that breaks down Omega-3 into its active components (EPA & DHA) is out-competed by Omega-6.
Therefore, because the levels of Omega-6 are so much higher in equine diets, any Omega-3 being supplemented in the long-chain form will not be broken down into the shorter-chain active components.
In fact, studies have shown that Omega-3 supplemented in the form of plant sources (e.g. Linseed Oil) does not result in increased EPA and DHA in the horse (Hess, T.M. et al.)
So, if you want your horse to receive the anti-inflammatory benefits of Omega-3’s, you need to supplement them in the already active form (EPA & DHA).