Magnesium Chloride

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TwoStroke

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I've just been informed by Roger Hatch from Trinity Consultants that magnesium chloride is far superioir to magnesium oxide. He said that magnesium chloride has an effect of the entire body due to it mainly being absorbed in the small intestine, whereas MgO is only partially absorbed in the small intestine (most in the hind gut) and so has a more limited use to the horse. He went on to say that I may as well keep feeding MgO, as it won't be doing anything! (And so won't have an effect on any of his supplements that I try).

Can anyone help shed some light on this? Are there any studies that have been done on the absorption of different forms of magnesium in the horse?

I'm pretty certain that feeding MgO DOES have an effect, but was told in no uncertain terms that I wasn't to question the wisdom I was receiving!
 
I thought that magnesium oxide became magnesium chloride once it was in the stomach anyway? I'm sure the scientists on here will be able to help. :)

Came across this from http://www.nikitanaturals.com/prod25.htm that might help :- Many different forms of magnesium are available for horses, ranging from very expensive chelated organic magnesium products to cheap inorganic raw materials. Magnesium chloride in this form is a very good source of magnesium as it is easily absorbed by the body. Other forms of magnesium, such as magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide and others, must be broken down in the stomach by hydrochloric acid to form magnesium chloride. Feeding magnesium chloride eliminates the need for break-down in the stomach which results in a much higher absorption rate.

A study was done to compare absorption rates of various types of magnesium supplements; it was found that magnesium chloride had a high bioavailability rate, similar to the chelated supplements magnesium lactate and magnesium aspartate. It is suggested that magnesium chloride be used for horses as the main source of supplemental magnesium for cellular uptake. There is also some benefit in feeding a small amount of magnesium oxide at the same time , 40g per feed, introduced slowly, has been used with good results), especially for horses grazing fructan rich grasses, commonly found in the southern regions of Australia.
 
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touchstone said:
I thought that magnesium oxide became magnesium chloride once it was in the stomach anyway? I'm sure the scientists on here will be able to help. :)
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Acid plus base gives salt plus water. If the stomach acid contains hydrochloric acid then magnesium oxide will become magnesium chloride in the stomach.

That's what I learned in o-level chemistry anyway.

And besides that, where can you buy magnesium chloride in bulk, or at all?????????
 
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cptrayes said:
Acid plus base gives salt plus water. If the stomach acid contains hydrochloric acid then magnesium oxide will become magnesium sulphate in the stomach.

That's what I learned in o-level chemistry anyway.

And besides that, where can you buy magnesium chloride in bulk, or at all?????????
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Surely you would need sulphuric acid to produce sulphate:confused:
 
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cptrayes said:
Site you pointed and have now removed, but just in case anyone else islooking to feed it, says
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Yes, which was why I removed it ;)

The site above in Australia also sells it to the uk, and it is available online as food grade from other sources; however as I said in my initial post, as mag ox is basically mag chloride once in the stomach, I don't think that there'd be any extra special benefit in feeding mag chloride, it may be absorbed more quickly, but I don't think that mag chloride will give any magic results.
 
Thanks folks :).

So there's a higher absorption rate of magnesium chloride - that's fine, just feed more magnesium oxide... right? Why does the need for a chemical reaction in the stomach mean that magnesium oxide is utilised by the horse differently from magnesium chloride? Given that the reaction turns MgO into MgCl2... That's the part that really puzzled me.

Also, is there any data on MgO absorption in the hind gut? Not that I can see it being a problem either way...
 
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