RC: EQUIFresh Electrolytes

[Roberta Jo Lieberman <woik@home.com>]

Dawn wrote:
<<I received the cost information on the EQUIFresh Electrolyte tablets, the
cost is $24.95 for the 60 tablet container. For those of you who are
interested the manufacturer has this to say (from advertisement in *The Horse*):
...EQUIFresh palatable electrolyte tables are easy to administer and 95% of
horses eat them free-choice when offered by hand. They contain our special
flavor base that horses love.
Feeding instructions are: feed 2-3 tablets before, during and/or after
workouts in athletic events. Feed 2-3 tablets every 1-2 hours (or as
necessary) during endurance events. Allow free choice water intake at all
times.>>

First, let me say that I'm not an expert here, so I hope that some of
our resident nutritionists will chime in. However, this is a topic of
some interest to me and relates to an article I'm working on right now,
so here goes....

The presenters at the AERC convention (Garlinghouse, Ecker et al)
stressed the importance of moving the electrolytes into the horse in the
company of water. "Fluids and electrolytes go hand in hand." By feeding
the tablets dry, you may be placing an additional burden on the horse to
produce sufficient fluid (i.e., saliva) to first dissolve the
electrolytes so they can be absorbed. If the horse is already
dehydrated, water might be pulled osmotically through the gut wall to
compensate, further dehydrating the tissues. Minerals suspended in water
are easier for the body to process and absorb and speed gastric emptying.

Okay, now let's take a closer look at the ingredient list.

Dextrose -- a form of sugar, presumably to make the product palatable.
It is customary to list the ingredients in order of prevalence, so it
appears that sugar is the #1 ingredient in this product. While other
endurance-designed electrolyte products do contain some dextrose or
glucose, according to Gayle Ecker, "Too much glucose causes swings in
blood glucose and insulin, and this is not desirable in the face of
continuing exercise." Or are we carbo-supplementing here, Tom?

Continuing on...
Rice hulls -- a "filler" or byproduct with little nutritional value
Molasses flavor -- more sugar
Sodium chloride -- simple table salt 
Cellulose -- relatively insoluble in water; serves to increase fecal
size and weight
Stearic acid -- an 18-carbon-long saturated fatty acid

Finally, we arrive at the actual electrolytes:
Potassium phosphate
Calcium phosphate 
Magnesium phosphate 
Manganese sulfate

Without knowing the amounts delivered to the horse per dose, and the
bioavailability of each mineral, it is difficult to know whether the
product will be effective. 

Some of the more bioavailable chelates include aspartate, citrate,
fumarate, malate and succinate. These are components of the Krebs cycle,
the final pathway for the conversation of glucose, fatty acids and amino
acids into energy (ATP). 

Such mineral forms may enhance absorption and assimilation, so the body
can put them to work right away. This is especially critical in the
working endurance athlete, whose electrolyte losses occur in the early
stages of the ride (and often, before the ride itself, during the
trailer trip). 

(Chelated minerals are those bound to an organic substance such as an
amino acid or protein. This allows the mineral to be "piggy-backed" into
the system and more quickly absorbed.) 

And pulling up the rear...
Magnesium stearate -- a binder 
Silicon dioxide -- anti-caking additive (I think)

So...you are getting quite a bit of sugar, some fillers and binders, a
bit of fat, and an unknown quantity of actual electrolytes of
questionable quality. 

Remember, the purpose of advertising is to sell you the product. It may
have little or nothing to do with how well that product will perform for
*your horse.* I would investigate this product a little further before I
jumped in...but then, I think it's kinda fun to mix my electrolytes in
the blender and preload the syringes before I leave for the ride. ;-)

Bobbie in Santa Ana
(hoping that Tom, Sally, Beth, et al will peer, then review)