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Nucleotides for Horses.
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What nucleotides are and the benefits of feeding nucleotides to horses.
Nucleotides are molecules that make up the structural units of DNA and RNA. Nucleotides are essential to create new cells in the horse’s body and to transport oxygen around the body. They are found in low levels in a horse’s natural diet and are formed by horses’ bodies ‘recycling’ dead cells, however there are great benefits in feeding additional nucleotides.
The benefits of having higher levels of nucleotides in the diet include:
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Digestion and Nutrient Absorption: Nucleotides increase the length and surface area of intestinal villi. Villi line the intestines and are responsible for absorbing the nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the food that the horse consumes. Increasing the length and surface area of the villi means that more nutrients, vitamins and minerals are absorbed from the food.
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Fitness, Stamina and Fatigue: Nucleotides improve the production of red blood cells. This means that more oxygen can be transported around the body, which improves levels of fitness and stamina, and reduces the onset of fatigue and the level of lactic acid produced.
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Muscle Recovery and Function: If nucleotides are fed as a supplement to the diet this reduces the number of steps to form cells. This quickens the recovery rates for the muscles that undergo stress as part of a training schedule. The better and faster that these muscles recover the better the muscle function.
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Injury recovery: Increased oxygen transportation provided by nucleotides means that more oxygen will get to the damaged area. Coupled with the increase in the rate of cell replication means that nucleotides can help to reduces the time taken to recover from injury.
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Immunity: Nucleotides help the rate of replication of immune cells. Thereby improving the horse’s immune system and helping them to fight bacterial and viral infection.
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Nucleotides are included in all Blue Chip feed balancers; Original, Pro and Lami-light.
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Key Points about Nucleotides
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Blue Chip the 1st major feed company to include nucleotides – only a handful of Equine powdered supplements contain nucleotides.
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A lot of human sports products contain nucleotides, due to their lactic-reducing and recovery-aiding properties. Nearly all the baby milk formula products contain nucleotides due to them being an immune facilitator and aiding digestion development.
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There are 5 nucleotides that must be provided in balanced amounts to allow for absorption.
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Nucleotides are naturally available through recycling dead cells (inefficient), from the liver (level available reduced under times of stress/disease), through cellular production (slow) and from the diet (low levels & low availability).
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All feed contains a level of nucleotides; however in ingredients used for horse feeds these are in very low levels, with very low availability to the horse (around 5-10%) and they are hard to digest due to their protein coating.
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All Blue Chip feed balancers contain EQUIGEN, a purified nucleotide supplement, which has a 95%availability rate. Equigen will balance the limited levels of nucleotides available in the current diet.
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Nucleotides need to be readily available to horses :
- Under stress
- Suffering from low immunity
- During growth (e.g. foals/youngsters)
- Under high productive performance (e.g. breeding)
- Undergoing high levels of exercise
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Animals can’t store nucleotides, hence requiring a readily available source.
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Nucleotides help to ensure rapid cell proliferation. Cells/areas requiring rapid cell multiplication include immuno-competant cells, gastrointestinal cells, intestinal flora cells, liver cells and cells of reproductive organs.
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Nucleotides’ role in intestinal development is to increase length and number of villi; vital for mucosal development (1st line of defence in the gut).
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Nucleotides’ role in immunity: nucleotides are immune facilitators (not stimulators) so only help when required by the immune system, and quickly help the immune system to respond to and destroy a disease/infection. Immune stimulators can be dangerous, and over stimulate the immune system = immune system shut-down = disease/ infection can enter.
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Nucleotides are an essential nutrient for cell replication.
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Nucleotides improve digestion, immunity (as a facilitator), performance and reproduction.
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Faster cell proliferation to overcome times of stress.
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Additional benefits of Nucleotides to Blue Chip Original:
Nucleotides to promote improved weight/condition: Nucleotides will increase length and number of intestinal villi, promoting maximum absorption particularly as combined with high level of probiotic.
Mares, foals & young stock – Nucleotides will help prevent the normal ‘dip’ of antibody
levels in lactating mares, for the continual promotion of health in both mare and foal. Will
further prevent digestive upset during weaning/general gastro upsets. Lots of nucleotides
needed for development of foal digestive tract as no dead cells available for ‘recycling’. For
brood mares – aid placenta development/milk production.
Low-level competition/show horse: attending shows = greater risk of infection/disease –
nucleotides will aid the immune system in recovering from this. Also promote excellent condition and health.
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Additional benefits of Nucleotides to Blue Chip Pro:
Competition horse: High performance horses always require high levels of cell proliferation. With nucleotides there will be better production, absorption and utilisation of oxygen; a level heart rate during exercise; less cells broken down; more active red blood cells = increased oxygen carrying capacity; much lower levels of lactic acid build up = reduce risk of azoturia; better recovery after exercise.
Veteran horse: Nucleotides will help to promote excellent health, condition and weight; ensure healthy digestion (often compromised with old age) and aid the immune system when required (again, often compromised with old age).
Horse under extreme stress – e.g. recovering from antibiotics/severe digestive upset: aid
the digestive system (often compromised/unbalanced following antibiotic treatment);
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Additional benefits of Nucleotides to Blue Chip Lami-light:
Overweight/good doer: if diet limited, nucleotide/vitamin/mineral levels = below recommended and even lower than usual.
Hoof supplement: Rapid cell proliferation required to aid the growth of the hoof wall.
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