28th Sep 2017
The Difference Between Joint and Mobility Supplements
More and more we are reading about the emerging science of biomechanics as it relates to our horses’ performance and welfare. That is great because it gets us to look at the animal very holistically. And what it highlights is that good mobility is about the whole musculo-skeletal system working in harmony.
Equine nutrition is a bit behind in this as the feed industry has largely ignored nutrition for movement and the supplements industry has focussed on joints. It is well past time to put this right. At EquiFeast we have pioneered what we would prefer to call “Mobility Supplements” rather than joint supplements. These combine two and more recently three different groups of nutrients that combine to support the whole of our horses’ locomotion system. Like all nutrition it is only part of the story. Nutrients need to be supported with appropriate exercise and something therapy like massage, physio etc.
Joint support
The nutrients used in most joint supplements are pretty well known to most riders these days. Glucosamine, chondroitin (often from green-lipped mussels), MSM, omega 3 oils and hyaluronic acid are the main ingredients and most of these are available in single nutrients or as a comprehensive supplement.
But the joint needs physical support and that means tendons, ligaments and muscles all need to be working as nature intended. This is a largely neglected area but some modern products combine powerful antioxidants with the joint ingredients.
The icing on the cake
EquiFeast has done a lot of research on mobility issues both in the UK and Australia. And the simple conclusion is that Chelated Calcium (not ordinary calcium sources) have important roles in the soft tissues involved in the whole musculo-skeletal system. The common link seems to be a cellular process called calcium signalling which is the way nearly all cells in the body are switched on and off.
Calcium signalling is used to tell muscles to contract. But the calcium that goes into the cells to switch them on has to leave very quickly if the muscle is to relax again. It is not uncommon for some the calcium to be left behind resulting in a tense muscle, short stepping gait and pain. In extreme circumstance the animal “ties up” and can’t relax the muscle at all. Chelated calcium seems to help with the removal of the calcium from the cell and so let the muscle enter the relaxation phase.
Tendons and ligaments use calcium signalling for a completely different process. That is the release of the structural protein collagen. So calcium signalling is crucial for the integrity and strength of tendons and ligaments. Anecdotally chelated calcium hastens recovery from injury. It may have an effect to improve the robustness of some tendons.
All three of the active cells in bones use calcium signalling.
Osteoclasts secrete acids that dissolve the carbonated hydroxyapatite in the bones. This has to be done before new bone material is laid down and that job falls to the osteoblasts. The release of both acid and bone minerals are controlled by calcium signalling.
Bone is a very dynamic material that is constantly adapting to its work load. And the cells that measure the workload of the bones are called osteocytes. They form a net like “nervous system” throughout the bones and tell the other two cell types what to do and where. You will not be surprised to know that osteocytes, like all the cells in the nervous system, also use calcium signalling.
So chelated calcium is the final ingredient in the most comprehensive mobility supplements.