GastroKind
GastroKind Horse Gastric Support Supplement
- Winner of the International Innovation Awards 2017
- Works rapidly to support a healthy stomach
- Helps control stomach acidity
- Developed with Vets & leading equine nutritionists
- Contains 9 active ingredients
- 12.3lb (5.6kg) tub gives approximately 1-month supply
What?
Winner of the International Innovation Awards 2017 GastroKind is a natural, unique formula developed by the leading veterinary scientists, nutritionists, and vets. The combination of ingredients promotes a healthy gastric environment, soothes the stomach walls, helps control acidity, and supports the natural anti-inflammatory processes in the gut. Gastrokind can be fed to all horses during or following veterinary treatment to help encourage a healthy stomach environment and is a natural alternative to maintain a healthy gut. In clinical trials, GastroKind alone was associated with reduced ulcer scores and reduced behaviors associated with ulcers in both squamous and glandular ulcer diagnoses, and it was shown to be able to be effectively combined with omeprazole for horses with more severe ulcer scores. See below for the science behind each active ingredient.
Why?
Many factors can contribute to gastric upset in horses, including type of diet, turnout access, feeding schedule, exercise routine, stress, and anxiety, among others. Symptoms of gastric issues can range from mild or even no symptoms to severe symptoms that disrupt the horse’s daily life and/or ability to be ridden. Some horses seem predisposed to gastric issues or ulcers, either due to breed or lifestyle, while others can develop issues seemingly without warning. Once gastric issues do develop, however, they tend to occur again – especially without treatment, change in management, and on-going support to prevent gastric irritation from returning. Due to the naturally acidic nature of the stomach – which is an integral part of digestion and preventing pathogen exposure – once irritation or ulcers develop, the acidity can cause more tissue damage and inflammation and prolong the issue.
When?
Horses with current gastric irritation or ulcers benefit from the supportive effects of GastroKind, either as a stand-alone or as a complement to veterinary level products. Further, any horse with known history of gastric irritation or ulcers or horses with high risk of ulcer development due to breed, lifestyle, or diet can benefit from GastroKind to provide consistent gastric support, with the goal of strengthening and protecting the gastric lining from damage.
The Science Behind the Active Ingredients
Ficus glomerata extract - Ficus glomerata or Cluster Fig is an evergreen tree and found all over India and Southeast Asia. Compounds in the fruit are extremely high in natural phenolics, flavonoids, phytosterols, and terpenoids and have high antioxidant capacity (Eshwarappa et al. 2015). Studies using an extract of Ficus glomerata have been shown to support the stomach lining, promote a healthy gastric environment, and help control acidity.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae - Yeast cells are high in a small protein called thioredoxin. Thioredoxin is found in all mammal cells and is a powerful antioxidant. Recent studies have shown that oral administration of thioredoxin support the gastric lining (mucosa)
MgOH - Magnesium hydroxide when used in combination with a pectin-lecithin formulation and Saccharomyces cerevisiae can support a healthy stomach.
Apple Pectin & Lecithin - Pectin-lecithin complexes have been studied in horses and support the total mucus concentration in gastric juice (Koller et al. 2010). Mucus helps protect the stomach lining from acid. A study in horses demonstrated that the combination of magnesium hydroxide, a pectin-lecithin complex, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae can support a healthy stomach.
Alfalfa - Alfalfa has natural buffering capacity, which means it can help protect the stomach walls. Studies have shown that alfalfa when used for this purpose has a greater effect compared with horses fed Bermuda grass hay. Alfalfa also has an important role in ensuring palatability, keep the active ingredients evenly distributed throughout the supplement so that settling does not occur, and keeping the moisture content of the supplement as low as possible - which ensures the active ingredients are persevered in shipping and storage.
Vitamin E – Vitamin E has been shown to aid the natural process of reducing stomach acidity, acid creation, and gastric acid volume (Cuevas et al, 2011; Huilgol et al. 2014). Vitamin E in high feeding rates also has significant anti-oxidative action, aiding the integrity of tissues.
Selenium - Selenium is an important co-factor for effective function of antioxidant enzymes and vitamins such as Vitamin E.
Vitamin C – Alongside Vitamin E, Vitamin C is the other major anti-oxidant. Vitamin C creation capacity also declines with age, and horses may not be able to produce enough Vitamin C during times of high need – like with tissue damage. Plus, Vitamin C has been shown to have a major role in supporting a healthy gastric environment. The antioxidant Vitamin C has also been shown to support the gastric lining whilst not interfering with the positive effects of omeprazole (Kohler et al. 2010), therefore ideal for use alongside veterinary treatment.
