Brewer's Yeast won't put a rise in your Levis, but it will stimulate something else. Brewer's Yeast, is by itself a nutritional power house by itself. Being packed full of macro & micro nutrients, B complex vitamins and amino acids. However it is the by products of these that I will explore in this article. Brewer's yeast stimulates and stabilises the micro-flora in the hind gut of horses.
The micro-flora is vital in the cecum and the hindgut for the process of releasing enzymes that breakdown the linkages between glucose and fibre. This fibre is called volatile fatty acid that is absorbed through the intestine wall. These essential volatile fatty acids are used to meet the horses energy maintenance requirements.
In a study titled: "Effects of maternal dietary yeast supplementation on microbial diversity in the gastrointestinal tracts of their offspring"
It was noted that: '...Dietary yeast supplementation in horses can influence nutrient digestibility and microbial populations in the hindgut..."
By: E.R. Share, J.M Reddish & K. Cole. For the: Department of Animal Sciences Ohio University Columbus, QH43210.
There is a positive relationship that is created in the hindgut, when brewers yeast is supplemented in a horses diet. This dietary supplementation helps increase microbial populations, which in turn produce more enzymes. Which then subsequently increases fermentation in the hindgut, which increase greater fibre breakdown into volatile fatty acids.
Greater feed utilisation is the bottom line, the feed going through the horses digestive tract is converted into energy. This energy is then in turn used to meet the horses maintenance energy requirements. Instead of becoming detritus that is filling up your wheel barrow.
So Brewers' Yeast, won't put a rise in your Levi's, but it will help to increase microbial populations in the cecum and the hindgut of the horse. A healthy abundant microbial population helps increase fermentation in the hind gut. This helps to get more energy out of what you put in, the horses mouth.