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Scientists believe that advancing age causes a flagging immune system and an escalating hyperinflammatory state, referred to as immunosenescence and inflammaging, respectively*. As humans and horses age, these two major physiological processes involved in maintaining health are impaired. What impact do these age-related changes have on horses and, moreover, what can horse owners do to slow the effects of aging?

The importance of immunosenescence and inflammaging is underscored in the case of trauma. When an older horse is injured, the existence of a compromised immune system and a pre-existing pro-inflammatory state puts it at risk for infection, medical complications during treatment, longer recovery times, greater need for rehabilitation following injury, greater use of resources (including money) during treatment, and mortality.

“More and more horses are living to an advanced age, with many horses capable of participating in athletic competitions well into their 20s or even 30s. Injuries occurring in older horses may need to be treated in a different manner compared to younger, athletic horses that sustain similar injuries,” said Peter Huntington, B.V.Sc., M.A.C.V.Sc., director of nutrition at Kentucky Equine Research (Australia).

The impact of age on the immune and inflammatory response to traumatic injury is an emerging area of research in human medicine. Unfortunately, little research has been conducted in horses**. Nonetheless, one can begin to pose questions regarding the role of nutrition in senior and geriatric horses. For example, can antioxidants like green tea benefit aged horses? Would dietary supplementation with products that enhance the immune system—like vitamin E (Nano-E), perhaps—or with anti-inflammatory effects—such as omega-3 fatty acids (EO-3)—play an important role in disease prevention or the management of injury or other conditions in older horses?

“Although it is not possible to answer these questions based on the available data, nutrition will likely play a key role in keeping older horses healthy, especially in the face of injury,” said Huntington.

Further, additional research into the role of diet and nutritional supplementation in other age-related diseases of horses would also be beneficial.

*Hazeldine, J., J.M. Lord, and P. Hampson. 2015. Immunosenescence and inflammaging: A contributory factor in the poor outcome of the geriatric trauma patient. Ageing Research Reviews. 24(Pt. B):349-357.

**Katepalli, M.P., A.A. Adams, T.L. Lear, et al. 2008. The effect of age and telomere length on immune function in the horse. Developmental and Comparative Immunology. 32(12):1409-1415.

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