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Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J / Assessment of body fat in the pony: part II. Validation of t...
Equine veterinary journal2011; 43(5); 562-570; doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00327.x

Assessment of body fat in the pony: part II. Validation of the deuterium oxide dilution technique for the measurement of body fat.

Abstract: Excessive accumulations or depletions of body fat have been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in horses and ponies. An objective, minimally-invasive method to accurately quantify body fat in living animals is required to aid nutritional management and define welfare/performance limits. Objective: To compare deuterium oxide (D(2) O) dilution-derived estimates of total body water (TBW) and body fat with values obtained by 'gold standard' proximate analysis and cadaver dissection. Objective: D(2) O dilution offers a valid method for the determination of TBW and body fat in equids. Methods: Seven mature (mean ± s.e. 13 ± 3 years, 212 ± 14 kg, body condition scores 1.25-7/9), healthy, Welsh Mountain pony mares, destined for euthanasia (for nonresearch purposes) were used. Blood samples were collected before and 4 h after D(2) O (0.11-0.13 g/kg bwt, 99.8 atom percent excess) administration. Plasma was analysed by gas isotope ratio mass spectrometry following filtration and zinc reduction. After euthanasia, white adipose tissue (WAT) mass was recorded before all body tissues were analysed by proximate chemical analyses. Results: D(2) O-derived estimates of TBW and body fat were strongly associated with proximate analysis- and dissection-derived values (all r(2) >0.97, P≤0.0001). Bland-Altman analyses demonstrated good agreements between methods. D(2) O dilution slightly overestimated TBW (0.79%, limits of agreement (LoA) -3.75-2.17%) and underestimated total body lipid (1.78%, LoA -0.59-4.15%) and dissected WAT (0.72%, LoA -2.77-4.21%). Conclusions: This study provides the first validation of the D(2) O dilution method for the minimally-invasive, accurate, repeatable and objective measurement of body water and fat in living equids.
© 2011 EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2011-03-04 PubMed ID: 21496088DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00327.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

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.

The research paper focuses on validating the use of deuterium oxide dilution technique as a reliable method for the measurement of body fat in ponies. The study shows a strong correlation between estimates derived through this method and traditional methods such as proximate analysis and direct dissection.

Research Objectives

  • The study aims to validate the deuterium oxide (D2O) dilution method for measuring total body water (TBW) and body fat in equids (the horse family).
  • Through this method, the researchers seek to develop a minimally invasive, accurate, repeatable, and objective way of quantifying body fat in living animals.

Methodology

  • Seven mature Welsh Mountain pony mares were utilized for the study. These ponies were already destined for euthanasia (not related to the research).
  • The team administered D2O to the ponies and collected blood samples before and four hours after the administration.
  • The plasma was analyzed using gas isotope ratio mass spectrometry to determine the amount of D2O.
  • Following euthanasia, the weight of white adipose tissue (body fat) was recorded, and the tissues were subjected to proximate chemical analyses.

Results

  • The research shows that estimates of TBW and body fat derived from D2O dilution are strongly associated with the results obtained from proximate analysis and tissue dissection.
  • D2O dilution slightly overestimated TBW and underestimated total body lipid and dissected white adipose tissue.
  • However, the agreement level between the D2O dilution and conventional methods was still high, indicating the reliability of the D2O dilution method.

Conclusions

  • This study supports the use of the D2O dilution method as a valid and minimally invasive procedure for determining body water and fat in living equids.
  • It ultimately offers a more humane and accurate approach to help with nutritional management and the definition of welfare/performance limits in animals such as horses and ponies.

Cite This Article

APA
Dugdale AH, Curtis GC, Milne E, Harris PA, Argo CM. (2011). Assessment of body fat in the pony: part II. Validation of the deuterium oxide dilution technique for the measurement of body fat. Equine Vet J, 43(5), 562-570. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2010.00327.x

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 43
Issue: 5
Pages: 562-570

Researcher Affiliations

Dugdale, A H A
  • University of Liverpool, School of Veterinary Science, Leahurst, Neston.
Curtis, G C
    Milne, E
      Harris, P A
        Argo, C Mc

          MeSH Terms

          • Adipose Tissue, White / physiology
          • Animals
          • Body Composition / physiology
          • Body Weight / physiology
          • Deuterium Oxide
          • Horses / physiology
          • Indicator Dilution Techniques / veterinary
          • Reproducibility of Results

          Grant Funding

          • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

          Citations

          This article has been cited 12 times.
          1. Pratt-Phillips S, Munjizun A. Impacts of Adiposity on Exercise Performance in Horses. Animals (Basel) 2023 Feb 14;13(4).
            doi: 10.3390/ani13040666pubmed: 36830453google scholar: lookup
          2. Pontzer H, Rimbach R, Paltan J, Ivory EL, Kendall CJ. Air temperature and diet influence body composition and water turnover in zoo-living African elephants (Loxodonta africana). R Soc Open Sci 2020 Nov;7(11):201155.
            doi: 10.1098/rsos.201155pubmed: 33391799google scholar: lookup
          3. Baker LA, Burrows AM, Nonella KJ, Pipkin JL, Holmes LD, McEvers TJ, Tennant TC, Tisdale ZM, Voyles AH, Lawrence TE. Relationship between live body condition score and carcass fat measures in equine. Transl Anim Sci 2020 Oct;4(4):txaa179.
            doi: 10.1093/tas/txaa179pubmed: 33196015google scholar: lookup
          4. Morrison PK, Newbold CJ, Jones E, Worgan HJ, Grove-White DH, Dugdale AH, Barfoot C, Harris PA, Argo CM. Effect of age and the individual on the gastrointestinal bacteriome of ponies fed a high-starch diet. PLoS One 2020;15(5):e0232689.
            doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232689pubmed: 32384105google scholar: lookup
          5. Morrison PK, Newbold CJ, Jones E, Worgan HJ, Grove-White DH, Dugdale AH, Barfoot C, Harris PA, Argo CM. The equine gastrointestinal microbiome: impacts of weight-loss. BMC Vet Res 2020 Mar 4;16(1):78.
            doi: 10.1186/s12917-020-02295-6pubmed: 32131835google scholar: lookup
          6. Chusyd DE, Brown JL, Golzarri-Arroyo L, Dickinson SL, Johnson MS, Allison DB, Nagy TR. Fat mass compared to four body condition scoring systems in the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Zoo Biol 2019 Oct;38(5):424-433.
            doi: 10.1002/zoo.21508pubmed: 31361060google scholar: lookup
          7. Zoller JL, Cavinder CA, Sigler D, Tedeschi LO, Harlin J. Development of a mathematical model for predicting digestible energy intake to meet desired body condition parameters in exercising horses. J Anim Sci 2019 Apr 29;97(5):1945-1955.
            doi: 10.1093/jas/skz041pubmed: 30715345google scholar: lookup
          8. Morrison PK, Newbold CJ, Jones E, Worgan HJ, Grove-White DH, Dugdale AH, Barfoot C, Harris PA, Argo CM. The Equine Gastrointestinal Microbiome: Impacts of Age and Obesity. Front Microbiol 2018;9:3017.
            doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03017pubmed: 30581426google scholar: lookup
          9. Bamford NJ, Potter SJ, Baskerville CL, Harris PA, Bailey SR. Influence of dietary restriction and low-intensity exercise on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in obese equids. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Jan;33(1):280-286.
            doi: 10.1111/jvim.15374pubmed: 30520164google scholar: lookup
          10. de Laat MA, Hampson BA, Sillence MN, Pollitt CC. Sustained, Low-Intensity Exercise Achieved by a Dynamic Feeding System Decreases Body Fat in Ponies. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Sep;30(5):1732-1738.
            doi: 10.1111/jvim.14577pubmed: 27639952google scholar: lookup
          11. Blackmore TM, Dugdale A, Argo CM, Curtis G, Pinloche E, Harris PA, Worgan HJ, Girdwood SE, Dougal K, Newbold CJ, McEwan NR. Strong stability and host specific bacterial community in faeces of ponies. PLoS One 2013;8(9):e75079.
            doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075079pubmed: 24040388google scholar: lookup
          12. Pratt-Phillips S. Effect of Exercise Conditioning on Countering the Effects of Obesity and Insulin Resistance in Horses-A Review. Animals (Basel) 2024 Feb 26;14(5).
            doi: 10.3390/ani14050727pubmed: 38473112google scholar: lookup
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