Selenium Status’ Impact on Equine Antioxidant Factors

How important is the micromineral selenium to antioxidant activity in horses? A University of Kentucky (UK) research team recently set out to find out. The team evaluated selenium status’ impact on antioxidant factors in mature horses.

Selenium (Se) plays an integral role in many of the equine body’s functions, including production of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, an antioxidant that’s vital in preventing and repairing oxidative damage to cells. In horses residing and grazing in selenium-deficient geographic areas (including the Pacific Northwest, Great Lakes, and New