Ultimate Horse Ulcer Care with GastroPlus™

The Science:

Gastric ulcers affect more than 80-90% of race horses and 60% of show horses, hunter-jumpers, cutting horses, and recreational horses. Symptoms are an unreliable indicator of equine gastric ulcers. In a recent study of 30 horses in simulated race training, (Vatistas, et al 1999), "all horses developed moderate to severe ulceration... only one horse had signs of abdominal discomfort."

Gastric ulcers in horses are believed to be related to the stress, intense exercise and the damaging effects of "excess" stomach acid. Stomach acid is normally produced in large quantities. Rather than attempting to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach, which may deplete the horses ability to properly digest its food; supporting an animal's innate digestion mechanisms by increasing the blood flow to the stomach so enough mucus can be produced instead of decreasing the acid, may produce better results. 

It is important to understand how intense exercise can allow stomach acid to cause gastric ulcers. The key is understanding how intense exercise or stress in general affects blood flow to the walls of the stomach.

Stomach acid is normally averted from contacting the walls of the stomach by a thick layer of protective mucus that must be constantly secreted. Adequate blood supply to the walls of the stomach is essential for enough mucus to be produced to support the stomach lining.

Intense exercise or stress activates the sympathetic nervous system. This "fight or flight" response reduces blood flow to the stomach, which decreases mucus production. Insufficient gastric mucus production allows stomach acid to come into contact with the walls of the stomach and cause ulceration.

It is known that Nitric Oxide promotes the body's own healing process of gastric ulcers and helps prevent ulcers from developing. Nitric Oxide is a gaseous molecule produced in the walls of the stomach that relaxes the walls of blood vessels and increases blood flow. An intensely exercising horse must be able to produce large amounts of Nitric Oxide in order to maintain adequate blood supply to the walls of the stomach.

Nitric Oxide is synthesized in the body from its nutrient precursor, the amino acid arginine. Attempts to increase Nitric Oxide production by administering large quantities of arginine have met with limited success. Additionally, administering substantial amounts of arginine may have undesirable side effects, either through stimulating insulin release or by affecting other mechanisms.

There has been a need for a way to increase the amount of Nitric Oxide produced within the body using relatively small doses of arginine. Achieving these previously unattainable results was made possible through the development of a proprietary product formulation methodology, known as NPS™.