Nutraceuticals for Horses: What Are They?

In the past several decades, the world has witnessed the explosive growth of a multibillion dollar industry known as nutraceuticals. These products are used in human nutrition and have become popular in the horse industry also.

When a dietary supplement, nutraceutical, or other feed is intended to be used for the treatment or prevention of disease, in essence it becomes a drug.The term “nutraceutical” combines the word “nutrient” (a nourishing food or food component) with “pharmaceutical” (a medical drug). This term has been used to describe a broad list of products sold under the premise of being dietary supplements (i.e., foods) used for the expressed intent of treatment or prevention of disease.

Several terms need to be defined in order to gain an understanding of nutraceuticals. Definitions vary a bit depending on source, but general meanings are as follows. A nutrient is a feed or food constituent in a form and at a level that will help support the life of an animal or human. Feed includes edible materials that are consumed by an animal and contribute energy and/or nutrients to the animal’s diet. A food is an article that provides taste, aroma, or nutritive value. Drugs are substances for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or other animals; they are non-food substances intended to affect the structure or function of a person’s or animal’s body. A dietary supplement is a product that contains any form of one or more of the following dietary ingredients: vitamin, mineral, herb, or other botanical, and amino acid (protein). A nutraceutical is any nontoxic food component that has scientifically proven health benefits, including disease treatment and prevention. Finally, a veterinary nutraceutical is a substance that is produced in a purified or extracted form and administered orally to patients to provide agents required for normal body structure and function, with the intent of improving the health and well-being of animals.

Using the above definitions, it is still difficult to determine what is and what isn’t a nutraceutical. Are nutraceuticals considered foods or feeds? According to definition, a feed is an edible substance that contributes energy or nutrients to an animal’s diet. Feeds can make claims only about the nutrients they contain and the scientific functions of those nutrients. A potential difference between a feed and a nutraceutical is that a nutraceutical is unlikely to have an established nutritive value. Feeds are required to have nutritive value and are accountable, via labeling, for these values. Another difference between a feed/food and a nutraceutical is that feed is generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Nutraceuticals may contain substances that are “natural” but may not be generally recognized as safe.

The other component of our definition of nutraceutical includes the statements “for disease treatment and prevention” and “administered with the intent of improving the health and well-being of animals.” When a dietary supplement, nutraceutical, or other feed is intended to be used for the treatment or prevention of disease, in essence it becomes a drug. Drugs are subject to an approval process prior to marketing. To be approved, a drug must demonstrate safety and efficacy for its intended use.