The marker for MMD in blood tests is a molecule called Creatine Kinase (CK) – high levels means your horse is suffering from (amongst other things) some kind of pain, muscle damage or MMD. CK activity can be easily brought down by increasing the amount of L-Carnitine (an amino acid) in your horse’s diet. Scientists also found that L-Carnitine decreased the chance of lameness in horses.
In humans, a lot of research has been done into beetroot as a exercise performance enhancer. Beetroot increases athletic performance in a number of different ways: aerobic performance improves, power output is better, longer endurance, better oxygen utilisation and quicker recovery. It is also a potent antioxidant.
Lastly, another amino acid, called Beta-Alanine, is the precursor to a molecule called Carnosine, which is present in muscles. Muscles seem to perform much better when there are higher levels of Carnosine present. And supplementing Beta-Alanine increases Carnosine levels by up to 80%. In fact, what we have always thought of as innate ‘talent’ might actually just be higher levels of Carnosine.
