This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Treatments and Medications for Horses » Anti-inflammatories (NSAID's, Steroids, Arthritis Rx) » Oral Glucosamine, ChonDrOitin Sulfate, and Hyaluronic Acid, their use in Arthritis »
  Discussion on Glutamine, Corta-FLX, ulcers
Author Message
Member:
teddyj1

Posted on Thursday, Sep 27, 2007 - 10:02 am:

Hi Dr. O' just curious, would the level of Glutamine in Corta-FLX be of any benefit to horses prone to Gastric Ulcers? I know they jury is still out on whether Glutamine actually heals ulcers, but it does appear to be a very popular additive to ulcer supplements. I just thought, hey wouldn't it be great to use one product for two issues.

Thanks,
TOD
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Sep 27, 2007 - 4:01 pm:

Hello TOD,
Hmm I have seen ads that tout the benefits of L-glutamine on gut health and even claiming it will heal gastric ulcers. But, I am not aware of any scientific evidence that this is true, assuming a diet with adequate protein intake.
DrO
Member:
153337

Posted on Friday, Sep 28, 2007 - 12:43 pm:

Hi Tod,

Glutamine is really great for enhancing the function of the mucosal lining of the gi tract, therefore helping a host of disorders. It could be a great aid for anyone probably prone to ulcers, but there are other supplements that work better. I have not ever looked for them for horses though. Picrorhiza is an herb from the Himalayan mountains, in studies on rats it has shown that after NSAIDS induced ulcers, this herb has accelerated the healing of the stomach wall. A form of zinc registered as PepZin GI (zinc L-carnosine) works synergisticaly to supports stomach tissue while exerting inhibitory effects against h.pylori. They actually did a human study and had a 65% visible evidence of healing. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice inhibits pro-inflammatory molecules, supports healthy stomach tissue and contains compounds that block the growth of even antibiotic resistant strains of h. pylori. I think there are studies on antioxidants grape seed, blueberry and cranberry showing they retard H. Pylori growth via several different mechanisms. Like I said though to translate it all to horses might be a stretch, but supplementing a horse can be expensive because it is all relative to size and weight, generally. I've supplemented my horses with a variety of things, depending. I even had a horse i took on as a project that had a suspensory ligament injury, which I did a lot for. The vet was impressed with the horses healing, based on the pictures he took. This was after told me to start off with the supplements i was putting the horse on he thought would have no effect. He is a vet that deals with these types of injuries all the time so he had a pretty good handle on it. I'm not sure if the above mentioned herbs are even considered safe for horses. So more research needed, but maybe an angle for you to look at.

Good Luck,
Amber
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Sep 29, 2007 - 8:25 am:

Hello Amber,
I can find no research in the scientific/medical literature that supports your glutamine contentions in horses (or any other species) with a healthy diet. As to the other recommendations they are highly speculative in the horse so, as you say, more research is needed before they can be recommended as even safe much less efficacious.
DrO
Member:
amara

Posted on Saturday, Sep 29, 2007 - 11:51 am:

Dr.O
I read somewhere that ulcers in horses have shown no evidence of being caused by h.pylori.. is that still true?...
Member:
teddyj1

Posted on Saturday, Sep 29, 2007 - 7:57 pm:

Hi Dr. O' well this was one of the "studies" that made me ask the question in the first place. I then found many articles on Glutamine healing ulcers on the Google search engine when I typed in- Glutamine Ulcers. Obviously I don't know how reliable these articles are.

Melissa, every thing I've read regarding Ulcers in horses, does not support the idea of H. Pylori being the cause.


https://www.wvdomain4.com/downloads/gastro_study.pdf

Thanks
TOD
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Sep 30, 2007 - 12:37 pm:

Hello TOD,
The study appears to be a non-blinded study of a small number of horses and possibly funded by the company that makes the product. While I can find no other studies on glutamine there is research on the antacids used in the product that did not find a beneficial effect from there use, presumably do to the short term of action. Further more because of the nature of how proteins are built it is illogical to think supplementing extra qanities of a single amino acid will "replenish depleted substances", even one that is a precursor for several others. In short there is little offered and that offered somewhat nebulous in a mechanism of action.

Because of the above I find "as a puzzle piece in evidence based medicine" a very low confidence level in this report but still agree with the conclusion of the report itself: further more rigorous research is warranted.

Melissa you are correct, despite a pretty intensive search H. pylori remains unimplicated in equine gastric ulcers.
DrO
Member:
teddyj1

Posted on Sunday, Sep 30, 2007 - 8:55 pm:

Thanks Dr. O', well it certainly would have been nice and easy if Glutamine was as effective as stated, since that's one of the Key ingredients in Corta-Flx HA , was hoping to get the benefit for both joints and tummy at the same time. Oh well...

TOD
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC