Dr. Rachel Tucker, an associate at Liphook Equine Hospital in the United Kingdom, was on a quest to determine which ingredients, if any, contained in popular equine joint supplements actually worked.
Many oral supplements claim a wide array of effects, including maintaining joint health, offering anti-inflammatory benefits, improving welfare, reducing joint stiffness and pain, and slowing osteoarthritis progression, reports The Horse.
Since most supplements are sold as food products, they are not required to conform to regulations or quality — or to have demonstrated efficacy.
Tucker considered ingredients effective if they achieved a desired response in the joint. They must also be bioavailable when administered orally, and have an appropriate formulation and concentration that matches published studies.
Chondroitin sulfate is a building block of joints; it is bioavailable and reaches synovial fluid and cartilage. It has an anti-inflammatory effect on human joint tissues and has been shown to reduce pain and swelling, as well as to prevent joint space narrowing. Equine-specific studies, however, have shown that chondroitin sulfate has no measurable effect on the horse.
Glucosamine is present in cartilage and synovial fluid; the amino monosaccharide prevents joint breakdown and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Research has shown conflicting evidence: some studies show that glucosamine has slow or no utilization in tissue, while others find that it does have an effect on pain or function.
Boswellia serrata, also called Indian frankincense, claims to be an anti-inflammatory. There have been no veterinary studies on Boswellia serrata's use, so additional investigation is needed, Tucker said. It has shown some benefit in humans who have taken it.
Turmeric use in humans has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but it has poor bioavailability. Only one veterinary study has been done to date, and the vets involved thought it showed significant improvement in dogs that consumed it.
While Tucker concluded that there is no concrete evidence that supplements work, they are safe to feed horses.
Read more at The Horse.
