OKAPI Lymeth

What is OKAPI Lymeth?

Proteins are large molecules that are made up of many individual building blocks, the amino acids. There are around 20 different amino acids in animals, which can be visualised like the letters of an alphabet: There are some ‘essential’ amino acids that the body cannot produce itself, and must absorb through food. In our alphabet, they correspond to vowels. There are also the consonants, i.e. in the case of proteins, the non-essential amino acids. These can be produced by the body in any quantity, as long as there is enough protein in the diet. In order to form a coherent sentence, it is necessary to put all the letters in exactly the right order. A single incorrect amino acid can completely influence the function of the protein, just as the exchange of a single letter can give a sentence a completely different meaning: 
‘The tin is empty.’ - ‘The bin is empty.’
This shows that you can't just swap one letter for another if you're missing one. In addition, all letters must be present. This is not so problematic with the consonants because these non-essential amino acids can be produced by the body itself. It can therefore produce enough ‘T’ to prevent the tin turning into a bin. The situation is different with the non-essential amino acids, our vowels. If, for example, the amino acid lysine is missing from the food, which in our language would roughly correspond to the letter ‘e’, then the sentence ‘The tin is empty’ becomes the sentence ‘Th tin is mpty’. A protein that lacks essential amino acids for its production cannot be built.
This results in the quality of proteins compared to quantity: Naturally, there must be a sufficient amount of protein in the feed to cover the daily requirements for growth and regeneration. Feeding inferior protein that is plentiful in non-essential amino acids but contains little or no essential amino acids is of little help to the body. After all, a large proportion of non-essential ones have to be excreted again, which puts a strain on detoxification organs such as the liver and kidneys. At the same time, it cannot build up important proteins due to the lack of essential amino acids, so that certain regeneration processes or even individual metabolic reactions cannot take place to the normal extent.
Therefore, not only the quantity of protein, but also the protein quality is decisive in feeding. As horses are provided with feeds by us humans, allowing many amino acids to form in their large intestine, only three truly essential amino acids remain that must be ingested by horses through their diet: Lysine, methionine and threonine.
The important lysine in particular is a limiting factor for the utilisation of the entire protein ration. This means that with a low lysine content, more protein cannot be formed even with an increased supply of other amino acids. Methionine is not only an essential amino acid, but also provides sulphur for the formation of the (non-essential) amino acid cysteine. Methionine and cysteine give proteins their stability so that they can reliably fulfil their function. These are crucial, especially for structures like keratin, which forms hair and hooves, but also for the healthy functioning of skin and the respiratory system. Threonine is not only a protein building block itself but also a precursor for the formation of some non-essential amino acids.
In addition, amino acids can be destroyed by hydrothermal treatment, so it is important to ensure a sufficient supply of essential amino acids, especially in highly processed (e.g. extruded) feeds.

Lastly, one must also consider that some feedstuffs naturally contain trypsin inhibitors, such as in soy products (e.g., soy meal or soy extraction meal). These can affect protein digestion in the small intestine and reduce the bioavailability of the entire protein ration. So, even if the feed theoretically contains high protein levels and perhaps even many essential amino acids, these amino acids may not be absorbed into the metabolism.

Therefore, the exact composition and processing of the feed must always be considered when assessing the protein value in the total ration.

Is OKAPI Lymeth suitable for my horse?

Lymeth is a highly concentrated amino acid supplement that contains the essential amino acids lysine, methionine, and threonine for horses. The lysine content in the ration is particularly important for the efficient utilisation of proteins. While protein-rich feeds like OKAPI Sainfoin or Vitalcobs naturally provide a high lysine content along with a broad range of non-essential and other essential amino acids, Lymeth focuses exclusively on the amino acids necessary for horses. This helps improve the utilisation of total protein in the feed ration without increasing the crude protein content.

Lymeth is suitable for breeding mares, growing young horses, and sport horses with higher protein requirements. An increased proportion of essential amino acids in the ration can support muscle development in sport horses and promote natural recovery after intense exertion. For breeding and growing horses, Lymeth helps optimise the overall ration and relieve stress on the metabolism. It can also be given to older horses to counteract age-related muscle loss.

Can I combine OKAPI Lymeth with other products?

OKAPI Lymeth can be easily combined with other products. We recommend combining it with OKAPI Wild Seeds and OKAPI L-Carnitine.