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Home / Equine Research Bank / Acta Vet Scand / A modified oral sugar test for evaluation of insulin and glu...
Acta veterinaria Scandinavica2016; 58(Suppl 1); 64; doi: 10.1186/s13028-016-0246-z

A modified oral sugar test for evaluation of insulin and glucose dynamics in horses.

Abstract: An oral sugar test (OST) using Karo® Light Corn Syrup has been developed in the USA as a field test for the assessment of insulin dysregulation in horses but the syrup is not available in Scandinavian grocery stores. The aim of the study was to compare the results of a modified OST between horses with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and healthy horses using a Scandinavian commercially available glucose syrup (Dansukker glykossirap). In addition, the effect of breed and the repeatability of the test were evaluated. In the present study, clinically healthy horses (7 Shetland ponies, 8 Icelandic horses, 8 Standardbred horses) and 20 horses of various breeds with EMS underwent the modified OST test. The Icelandic horses and Shetland ponies underwent the OST twice. Insulin and glucose data from the OST were used to calculate peak insulin concentration (PeakINS), time to peak insulin concentration (T-peakINS), area under the curve for insulin (AUCINS) and glucose (AUCGLU) as well as whole body insulin sensitivity index (ISICOMP). Results: Compared to the healthy group, the EMS group had 6-7 times higher geometric mean for PeakINS and AUCINS and 8 times lower geometric mean for ISICOMP. The EMS group had a delayed T-peakINS compared to the healthy group. There was no effect of breed in the group of healthy horses on PeakINS, T-peakINS, AUCINS, AUCGLU and ISICOMP. Coefficient of variation for repeated tests was 19.8, 19.0 and 17.6 % for PeakINS, AUCINS and ISICOMP respectively. Conclusions: The results of the present study demonstrate that the modified OST appears to be a practical and useful diagnostic tool for assessment of insulin dysregulation in the horse. However, to make it possible to establish the most appropriate sampling interval and to evaluate the accuracy of the modified OST, further studies in horses with a variable degree of insulin resistance are needed, where results from the modified OST are compared with quantitative measurements for IS.
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Publication Date: 2016-10-20 PubMed ID: 27766982PubMed Central: PMC5073908DOI: 10.1186/s13028-016-0246-zGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study investigates a modified oral sugar test (OST) for assessing insulin regulation in horses, using a Scandinavian glucose syrup as an alternative to a syrup not readily available in Scandinavia.

Objective

The objective was to compare this modified OST’s outcomes between horses with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and healthy horses. The study also aimed to evaluate the effect of different breeds on the test results and to assess the repeatability of the test.

Methodology

  • The study involved clinically healthy horses (7 Shetland ponies, 8 Icelandic horses, 8 Standardbred horses) and 20 horses of various breeds with EMS who underwent the modified OST test.
  • The Icelandic horses and Shetland ponies went through the test twice.
  • Information collected from the OST, including insulin and glucose data, was used to calculate peak insulin concentration (Peak), time to peak insulin concentration (T-peak), area under the curve for insulin (AUC), and glucose (AUC), as well as the whole body insulin sensitivity index (ISI).

Results

  • Compared to the healthy group, the EMS group had 6-7 times higher geometric mean for Peak and AUC.
  • The EMS group had an 8 times lower geometric mean for ISI.
  • The T-peak for the EMS group was delayed compared to the healthy group.
  • Breed had no effect on Peak, T-peak, AUC, and ISI in the group of healthy horses.
  • The coefficient of variation for repeated tests was 19.8, 19.0, and 17.6 % for Peak, AUC, and ISI respectively.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the modified OST could be a practical and useful tool for assessing insulin dysregulation in horses. To establish the most suitable sampling interval and evaluate the modified OST’s accuracy, further studies involve horses with varying degrees of insulin resistance are recommended. These future studies should compare the modified OST’s results with quantitative measurements for insulin sensitivity.

Cite This Article

APA
Lindåse S, Nostell K, Bröjer J. (2016). A modified oral sugar test for evaluation of insulin and glucose dynamics in horses. Acta Vet Scand, 58(Suppl 1), 64. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-016-0246-z

Publication

Acta veterinaria Scandinavica
ISSN: 1751-0147
NlmUniqueID: 0370400
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 58
Issue: Suppl 1
Pages: 64

Researcher Affiliations

Lindåse, Sanna
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden. sanna.lindase@slu.se.
Nostell, Katarina
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
Bröjer, Johan
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Area Under Curve
  • Blood Glucose / analysis
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism
  • Breeding
  • Glucose / pharmacokinetics
  • Glucose Tolerance Test / veterinary
  • Horses / metabolism
  • Insulin / blood
  • Insulin / metabolism
  • Insulin Resistance

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