Improves top line, supports muscle mass
Cavalor VitAmino supports muscle retention and helps your horse build muscle. The protein that muscles are built from is a chain of linked amino acids. Building muscle mass not only takes a sufficient supply of nutrients, which the horse can get from high-quality protein that is digested in the small intestine. The horse also needs enough energy to fuel the process. Besides good nutrition, an adjusted exercise schedule is essential to retain and develop muscle. During exertion, muscles break down. Tiny tears appear in the muscle fibres. This triggers the body to make new muscle fibres. Cavalor VitAmino supplies the amino acids needed to supplement exertion for muscle recovery and development.

Highly digestible protein, balanced amino acid profile
Even more important than protein content is the level of digestible protein. For example, about 50-80% of soy protein is digestible, while hay has much lower levels of digestible protein. The easier the protein is to digest, the less protein is needed to get the right levels of amino acids. Cavalor VitAmino contains easily digestible sources of protein, including soy, potato protein, alfafa and wheat middlings, so the total protein content can remain limited.

The specific composition of Cavalor VitAmino offers an amino acid profile that is very similar to the horse’s own muscular proteins. The quantity of each of these amino acids and the relative proportions (amino acid profile) determine effective muscle development. Building muscle requires all the amino acids in the right proportions. If even one amino acid is not present, it will slow the process of building muscle.

Sport essential multi-vitamins
Vitamins can help improve performance by giving a bit of a boost. Vitamin E protects muscle cells against free radicals and supports the natural functioning of the immune system. B-complex vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, calcium D-pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, choline chloride, niacin, cyancobalamin, folic acid and biotin) play a key role in energy levels or contribute to improved metabolism of carbohydrates, nerve signals or the supply of oxygen to the muscles.

Protein makes up an important part of a horse’s diet. It is a nutrient as well as a building block for all living organisms. Protein contains amino acids that the body needs for cell building and other metabolic processes. In the equine body, tissues are made up of cells. All these cells – for example in muscles, organs, the nervous system, bones, skin but also  blood and immune cells – contain protein. This is why it’s important that the horse’s diet contains sufficient protein. However, not all protein gives the same result.

High-quality proteins provide the right building blocks – amino acids – in the correct ratio and quantity. The quantity and quality of protein needed for optimum muscle building in horses was not well known until recently. Because high-quality protein sources are expensive and the total protein content in equine diets  often exceeds the daily needs of the horse, more research was needed looking into the quality and quantity of protein in equine rations in relation to maximum stimulation of protein synthesis in the muscles.

Cavalor Vitamino contains easily-digestible, high-quality protein sources with  a unique  amino acid profile that specifically targets muscle mass development developing . Cavalor VitAmino contains highly digestible protein sources from soy, alfalfa, and potato protein, which contain all the essential amino acids in the right proportions for strong muscles and optimum recovery. Cavalor VitAmino contains an amino acid profile that is very similar to that of equine muscle protein. Important essential amino acids such as lysine, methionine, and leucine are crucial building blocks and ensure extra activation of muscle protein synthesis.

Research behind the product VitAmino

Dr. Caroline Loos, postdoctoral scientist at the University of Kentucky (USA), does research on optimising protein nutrition in relation to muscle development. She recently completed 2 studies examining the impact of protein quantity and quality on the activation of the muscle mTOR signalling pathway in mature horses. Activation of the mTOR pathway is an essential trigger for the protein synthesis process and thus for building muscle mass. First, Dr. Loos looked at the effect of graded levels of high-quality protein intake on the activation of the muscle mTOR signalling pathway¹. She then compared two different protein sources to determine which protein type most strongly activates muscle protein synthesis². She also examined how long the mTOR pathway remained activated after a high-protein meal². Finally, she examined the difference, if any, between the activation of muscle protein synthesis in healthy horses and in horses with insulin dysregulation².

You can read more about the details of this research behind VitAmino here: Protein quality and quantity | Cavalor

For more information on the scientific studies:

1. Loos CMM, McLeod KR, Stratton SC, van Doorn DA, Kalmar ID, Vanzant ES, Urschel KL. (2020) Pathways regulating equine skeletal muscle protein synthesis respond in a dose-dependent manner to graded levels of protein intake. Journal of Animal Science. Vol. 98 Issue 9, skaa268. https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/98/9/skaa268/5896557
2. Loos CMM, McLeod KR, Vanzant ES, Stratton SA, Bohannan AD, Coleman RJ, van Doorn DA and Urschel KL (2022) Differential effect of two dietary protein sources on time course response of muscle anabolic signaling pathways in normal and insulin dysregulated horses. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 9:896220. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.896220 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.896220/full