“Chelated minerals are the preferred choice of many nutritionists because of their better absorption rate “
Precision Joint Solution is formulated to offer the highest quality of ingredients on the market. To make sure that these high quality ingredients can be fully absorbable we chose to go the extra steps and have our minerals and vitamins chelated. So what is chelation and is it that important?
Chelation is every important for multiple reasons. Chelation Equals Solubilization. To understand the benefits of chelation, it is first necessary to understand how the body digests substances. An organic material, one which is derived from living material (plants and proteins), is more easily absorbed by the body than inorganic material (minerals).
Chelation is a process which attaches minerals (inorganic) to other substances, such as amino acids (organic), in order to increase their bioavailability. As a result, chelated minerals are protected through the digestive process which allows it to be absorbed into the cell membrane and utilized rather than excreted. An increase in bioavailability of the mineral results in the mineral being absorbed faster and more effectively by the body.
Chelated minerals are the preferred choice of many nutritionists because their complex structures better survive passage through the stomach and into the small intestine where absorption into the bloodstream takes place. The reason chelated minerals can survive the onslaught of acid and enzymes in the stomach is because they are bound to ligand anions in multiple locations, as described above. The strength of the multiple bonds between the chelator and metal ion hold the mineral complex together through the acidic environment of the stomach and into the small intestine. With non-chelated mineral salts, stomach acid easily liberates the metal ion. The large macromolecules are more readily absorbed through the intestinal wall than free ions, which are typically flushed through the intestine without being absorbed into the bloodstream.
“Is my horse getting what I am paying for?”
In the 1960’s, scientists developed the concept of chelating a metal ion prior to feeding the element to the animal. They believed that this would create a neutral compound, protecting the mineral from being complexed with insoluble salts within the stomach, which would render the metal unavailable for absorption. Amino acids, being effective metal binders, were chosen as the prospective ligands, and research was conducted on the metal-amino acid combinations. The research supported that the metal-amino acid chelates were able to enhance mineral absorption.
During this period, synthetic chelates were also being developed. An example of such synthetics is ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). These synthetics applied the same concept of chelation and did create chelated compounds; however, these synthetics were too stable and not nutritionally viable. If the mineral was taken from the EDTA ligand, the ligand could not be used by the body and would be expelled. During the expulsion process the EDTA ligand will randomly chelate and strip another mineral from the body.
According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), a metal amino acid chelate is defined as the product resulting from the reaction of a metal ion from a soluble metal salt with a mole ratio of one to three (preferably two) moles of amino acids. The average weight of the hydrolyzed amino acids must be approximately 150 and the resulting molecular weight of the chelate must not exceed 800 Da.
Since the early development of these compounds, much more research has been conducted, and has been applied to human nutrition products in a similar manner to the animal nutrition experiments that pioneered the technology. Ferrous bis-glycinate is an example of one of these compounds that has been developed for human nutrition.
So what does this mean for your equine? When your feeding them chelated minerals & vitamins you can rest assure that your horse is absorb these supplements and utilize them for a healthier body. Next time your in your barn take a look at your feed label and see if the ingredients are listed as chelated or the word “Amino Acid” after the ingredient. If not, the questions that remains is,
“Is my horse getting what I am paying for?”