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[RC] Magnesium question - was flax seed and thyroid - Eleanor Kellonnot the right Heidi, but I've read something that Dr.
Kellon wrote a long time ago, something about Magnesium deficiency in Cushings type horses/ponies and how it could help. Maybe she will read this and confirm and expound. ======================
Magnesium is an old folk remedy for laminitis in the UK. Never made much sense to me but about 10 years ago I did a field trial of magnesiufm supplementation in chronically laminitic and cresty/overweight horses and ponies. In the process of researching what effects of magnesium might be responsible for this, I ran across both the older studies on ponies being insulin resistant, and human work showing a link between magnesium deficiency and insulin resistance or diabetes. Eureka moment.
I don't want to go too far off topic for this group but if anyone has a strong interest in this topic you might want to join:
even if it's just to read the information in the files.
Getting back to endurance, someone said a while back they thought magnesium was the ignored electrolyte. To a large extent, that's true. In his excellent article on feeding endurance horses, Dr. Spangfors recommended a 2:1 ratio of calcium:magnesium in the diet a long time ago:
Some nutritionists in this country (like Bill Vandergrift) agreed, and I certainly do too, but the NRC feeding requirements always set a much lower target magnesium - unitl now. In the 2007 edition, they're finally down to a 2:1 ratio for exercising horses.
Eleanor
-- Eleanor M. Kellon, V.M.D. Equine Nutritional Solutions 58 Maple Farm Road Ephrata, PA 17522
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