January 2007

Safe Vitamin E And Selenium Intakes

Avoiding dangerous levels of selenium and vitamin E is easier than you may think.

Vitamin E and selenium supplements abound and for good reason. Severe deficiencies can cause life-threatening muscle and nervous-system diseases. But these nutrients do far more in the horse’s body than protect muscles.

As critical antioxidants, they protect the immune-system cells from suffering "friendly fire" damage as they go about their work, especially areas that have a high reliance on oxygen-fueled metabolism, like in the heart, muscle and brain. They also protect the red blood cells from damage during exercise. Even reproduction can be negatively affected by the inadequate intake of vitamin E and selenium, and these nutrients are an important part of detoxification systems. …