10/12/2023
Dear Followers:
In this current day of misinformation and false narratives being a rampant problem in social media, it’s important to remember to check sources and think critically about what you are reading. Example in hand is an article recently written by Natalie Sullivan, MS, who presents herself an equine “nutritionist” though she appears to hold no formal degrees or certification in the field.
Natalie contacted me requesting information about one of my products, to which I promptly supplied her with the ingredients and source specifications. However, she proceeded to badger me, demanding I research and provide her with references to scientific articles related to the topic, only to become rude, condescending, and highly unprofessional when I declined to respond to her demands any further.
The result is this amateurish article, a “review” of several algal products from not only my own, but several other respectable nutrition companies as well. In this very long personal story, Natalie predominantly discredits the use of algae to raise the Omega 3 content of the equine diet, despite many scientific publications from university, private and government laboratories that have demonstrated the efficacy of its use in multiple species, including horses.
Natalie’s anecdotal review is strictly of her own experience with an algae product. This appears to be the impetus behind her attempting to discredit not only all algal products, but also a few of the peer reviewed and professional proceedings references that each company used to back the research behind their products. On at least one occasion, she also appears to misinterpret the results and conclusions of the study. Why she chooses to alienate professionals and industry leaders in the very industry she appears to want to be a part of is an enigma.
Trained professional scientists know that telling a “story” about your own experience and your “opinion” is not a legitimate way to perform an analysis or a review. Only when a study is correctly designed, data is collected, and the correct statistical tests are applied to the data, can results clearly defined. Anecdotal stories and cherry-picked information to fit your narrative does not make a clinical study.
So as a reminder, when reading any information always check the credentials, qualification, professionalism, reviews, and integrity of the source.
Can we mimic grass with algae for horses? Why? How? Cost? Efficacy? Should we?
https://www.oncourseequinenutrition.com/post/what-does-it-mean-to-feed-algae-to-horses-the-story-i-did-not-want-to-tell
