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FAQ

Below we have gathered the most commonly asked questions when it comes to our Camelina Oil. Are you on the fence about switching from other supplements or feeding an oil for the first time? Our FAQ below can answer all of that and more!

Frequently asked questions

Camelina oil comes from the oilseed Camelina sativa. Camelina sativa is native to Europe and grows well in cold and arid climates. While camelina is normally found in Europe, it can also be found in Asia and in some places throughout North America, Slovenia, and Italy. Known in English as camelina, gold-of-pleasure, or false flax, this crop has been used in natural medicine for years. It is possible that Camelina Sativa was brought to North America unintentionally as a weed with flaxseed. It was overlooked until recently for dietary use. 

Researchers’ became interested in Camelina because of its high level (up to 45%) of omega-3 fatty acids. It is uncommon to have this level of omega-3 fatty acids in plant based sources.  Most of the fatty acids in cold-pressed camelina oil are polyunsaturated. This helps provide structure to cell membranes which can improve exercise stamina, lower heart rate, increase sperm production, improve immune response, and help with the body’s responsiveness to insulin.

Lastly, camelina oil contains Vitamin E in two forms, alpha and gamma tocopherol. These compounds protect the oil from oxidation and rancidity, which makes its shelf life stretch to over 18 months. Together with Omega properties, Vitamin E helps improve skin conditions and prevent free radical damage.

Read more on our blog: “What is camelina oil?”

The most important concept to understand when comparing omegas is that they are not all created equal. Having quality sourcing of ingredients and precise processing techniques will provide an excellent omega product with the correspondingly important bioavailability your animal needs to see results.

For the last 15+ years, Excel has worked to develop proprietary camelina varieties which are optimized to yield the highest level of omegas, sterols and polyphenols.  Our control of the entire process, from the planted seed to your animal’s feed enables you to be certain your animal is getting the highest quality supplement available.  Our camelina is grown in our controlled fields and is carefully processed to maximize the effects of this plant’s oil for animal health.

Excel’s supplements provide an optimal ratio between omega three, six and nine fatty acids; added to this are the tailored polyphenols and antioxidants in Excel’s varietals which have been developed to allow for maximum bioavailability within the animal. Superior anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and gastrointestinal support experienced by our patients is what truly sets ExcelEQ™ apart as the gold standard of the animal supplement industry.

Excel ProElite™ provides the addition of CamOlive™ (a proprietary extract of natural olive antioxidants) which benefits the performance of the animal by adding increased mobility and superior muscle development along with enhanced anti-inflammatory protection for quicker recovery post workout. ProElite™ also provides elevated anti-oxidant activity (neutralizes free radicals and protects intestinal epithelium), increased bioavailability (increases the nutrient bioavailability) and intestinal protection (reinforced the immune system and improve hind-gut health).

No! All Excel products come with a measuring device (1 Gallon and 5 Gallon options come with pumps provided)

Each product has a shelf life of 2 years from the packaging date which can be found on the bottom of the container, bottle, jug or bucket.

When looking at hind gut issues in horses it all points to inflammation in the gut wall. If your horse does not have an intact gut wall, instead of absorbing the nutrients needed they will leak out of the gut, causing inflammation. When the horse’s body reacts to this, more inflammation will occur, leading down a road of more serious problems.

Excel can help with the hind gut through wall repair and prevention. In order to have a healthy hind gut you need to make sure that you are feeding the good bacteria while eliminating the bad. Because Excel is a prebiotic it helps with all of these areas. Probiotics simply remove all bugs in the gut leaving a small population of bugs behind, good and bad. Because all horses are different, the best thing to do is make sure that the gut is working how it should be to that specific horse.

Trials have been performed with ProElite™s ingredients to see how its properties improve the hind gut. The findings indicate the key components in CamOlive™ actually promote growth of the intestinal villi, improving the hind gut significantly and increasing intestinal absorption.

The Vitamin E in Excel largely consists of Gamma-tocopherol and serves two important functions: – as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent and secondly, and equally important to the overall product, as a very potent natural antioxidant which acts as a preservative and improves the oil’s stability.  Your horse’s diagnosed vitamin E deficiency is actually a diagnosis calling for supplementation with Alpha-tocopherol.  As Excel is largely a gamma-tocopherol product, your horse will not receive a large dose of Alpha-tocopherol by adding Excel to its diet…HOWEVER… in many cases, the root-cause of the Alpha-tocopherol deficiency is often tied to poor intestinal absorption of this important vitamin. 

ExcelEQ™ and especially ExcelProElite™ have been shown to improve the bioavailability of other nutrients in the animal’s diet by decreasing ‘leaky gut’ and improving overall intestinal health- allowing the naturally consumed vitamins to do what they were intended to do- and reducing or eliminating the need for artificial supplementation of these vitamins.  We often find horse owners who have been using heavy supplementation with vitamins being able to completely eliminate this extra supplementation following a switch to using ExcelEQ ProElite™.  As always, check with a veterinarian before eliminating any proscribed medicines or supplements from an animals’ diet, but we feel that the best form of protection is prevention and if you are able to improve your animal’s gut health, and eliminate artificial forms of supplementation and medication, you are improving your animal’s overall health and wellbeing, naturally.

More about Excel’s natural tocopherols:  Typically, the more unsaturated the oil, the more prone it is to oxidation, hence a shorter shelf life.

However, the high concentration of the Gamma-tocopherol in Excel improves the oil’s stability- dramatically improving its shelf life when compared to other oils with similar levels of unsaturated fatty acids (flax, fish oil).
What we think of as Vitamin E is really a mix of different tocopherols (of which there are many). The following is the breakdown of Excel into its different tocopherol components:
Total tocopherols- 700PPM or 760-800 mg/kg

  • Alpha-tocopherol: 30 – 40 mg/kg
  • Gamma –tocopherol: 720 – 740 mg/kg
  • Delta-tocopherol: 10 – 20 mg/kg
  • Alpha-Tocopherol IU’s: 20- 27 IUs per Kg or .6-.8 IU’s per ounce*

When looking at this on a daily serving basis- you can calculate this into per ounce measurements.  1 kg equates to 35.27 oz so total Tocopherol content per ounce of Excel is equal to between 21.55 to 22.68 mg/ounce. Alpha tocopherol supplementation is often listed in I.U.s (International Units).  Customers being told to supplement their animals with Vitamin E (again really Alpha-Tocopherols) are looking for these measurements, and we are frequently asked to identify this IU measurement for our oil.

Excel can help with the hind gut through wall repair and prevention. In order to have a healthy hind gut you need to make sure that you are feeding the good bacteria while eliminating the bad. Because Excel is a prebiotic it helps with all of these areas. Probiotics simply remove all bugs in the gut leaving a small population of bugs behind, good and bad. Because all horses are different, the best thing to do is make sure that the gut is working how it should be to that specific horse.

Trials have been performed with ProElite™s ingredients to see how its properties improve the hind gut. The findings indicate the key components in CamOlive™ actually promote growth of the intestinal villi, improving the hind gut significantly and increasing intestinal absorption.

There are two major effects that a product balanced with omega three, six and nine fatty acids will help in regard to a horse with allergies: decreasing inflammation and building a strong immune system.

Over the second half of the 20th century diets became richer in omega 6 fatty acids and lower in omega 3 fatty acids.  Also, during this time an increase in prevalence of allergic disease was noted; a causal link has been suggested that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids may protect against allergic sensitization.

Severe allergies trigger an uncontrolled cascade of inflammation in the horse’s body. If it is an acute allergic response you worry about major structures in the horse’s body shutting down, a process widely known as anaphylactic shock.  While Excel is a great preventative measure it is not a cure or substitute for conventional medicine during these instances. Excel will help with supplementation during the healing process, allowing the horses body to respond well to an antigen.

The omega nine fatty acid is associated with health benefits, most notably for strengthening the immune system and reducing inflammation. If your horse is showing a weak or damaged immune system this may be directly related to their hind gut. The largest disturbance in the gut is inflammation, leaving the gut wall not able to absorb the nutrients, allowing them to leak out, in turn causing the body to react and create more inflammation.

Current veterinary science shows that we still don’t have a complete understanding of where this inflammation is coming from. With this lack of knowledge, it is suggested that the strongest preventative measure is to feed a balanced diet to keep and nourish good gut bacteria, while eliminating the bad bacteria.

The bioavailability components in Excel’s product will aid in both decreasing inflammation in structures of the horse, building a stronger immune system and allowing the body to absorb nutrients and medicines at max capacity.

In a recent study, plasma levels of horses consuming three types of vitamin E were compared: synthetic vitamin E powder (dL-alpha-tocopherol), natural vitamin E powder (d-alpha-tocopherol), and natural vitamin E liquid (also d-alpha-docopherol). Dramatic increases were noted in horses fed natural vitamin E.

The water-soluble liquid vitamin E demonstrated the quickest effect. Blood levels of natural vitamin E powder also increased, but at a slower pace. As for the synthetic vitamin E powder, this study showed that plasma levels fell slightly.  So most important is to check that your product has a natural source of vitamin E.

In people there was an interesting study looking into variability of vitamin e digestibility according to how vitamin e was consumed. They found that taking the vitamin with a fat source increased absorption notably. 

You can read a synopisis of the human study here:
Science Daily 

Excel ProElite™  is an excellent vitamin e maintenance provider as it contains natural Vitamin E offered in a healthy fat medium.

Because cushings is a disorder of the horse’s hormone secreting organ, our product can not treat directly the disease. However affected horses are often insulin resistant, sweet feed and other feedstuffs high in soluble carbohydrates should be avoided in favor of diets emphasizing fiber and fat.  That is where an oil or fat based supplement is a great addition to these horses’ diets.  Our supplement can substitute calories otherwise consumed in sugars or carbohydrates as well is provide anti-oxidants and omega-3 fatty acids essential to overall well being.

All product pages on our website have a nutritional label under the product image.

Have questions about what product is right for your animal? Contact Us

Chestnut horse with Excel Pro Elite Camelina Oil horse supplement with omega 3, 6, and 9.

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