Green grass offers horses the best natural source of vitamin E. | Photo: iStock

Cell membrane integrity must be pristine to control sodium and calcium ion flow across muscle cell membranes to initiate muscle contraction. Other antioxidants, such as selenium, also help protect membranes from free radical damage.

“Several important medical conditions can result due to inadequate antioxidant status,” says Carrie Finno, PhD, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor and Gregory L. Ferraro Endowed Director of the Center for Equine Health at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. “Although similar in some ways, these conditions have very different clinical presentation and age of onset.”

Examples