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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Carbohydrate pellets to assess insulin dysregulation in hors...
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2022; 37(1); 302-314; doi: 10.1111/jvim.16621

Carbohydrate pellets to assess insulin dysregulation in horses.

Abstract: A glycemic challenge test is used for the diagnosis of insulin dysregulation (ID) in horses and ponies. Different forms of the test exist where the administrative route and dose of glucose vary, which makes interpretation of results challenging. Objective: To evaluate the palatability of, and blood glucose and insulin responses to, carbohydrate pellets fed as an oral glucose test (OGT), and to establish the diagnostic threshold for ID when using the pellets. Methods: University and privately-owned horses and ponies (n = 157) comprised of 31 breeds and both sexes. Methods: Multicenter cohort study. A custom-produced glycemic pellet was offered for free intake at 0.5 g/kg BW soluble carbohydrate and serum insulin and blood glucose concentrations measured before and after (60, 120, and 180 minutes) the pellets were offered. Pellet acceptance and intake time (those that finished within 10 minutes) were determined to assess palatability. Results: The pellets were palatable to 132/157 animals, and ponies found the pellets more (P = .004) palatable than horses. The median intake time (4 [3-6] minutes) was positively correlated with acceptance grade (r = .51; P < .0001). Consumption of the pellets elicited peak blood glucose (6.6 [5.8-7.8] mmol/L) and serum insulin (40.5 [19-99.8] μIU/mL) responses at 120 minutes. At 120 minutes the optimal cut-off was 83 μIU/mL (95% CI: 70-99 μIU/mL) for the IMMULITE 2000XPi assay. Conclusions: The pellets were palatable and a suitable, novel carbohydrate source for the OGT.
© 2022 Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Gmbh. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2022-12-30 PubMed ID: 36583553PubMed Central: PMC9889680DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16621Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Multicenter Study
  • Journal Article

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 research article seeks to understand the effectiveness of carbohydrate pellets as an oral glucose test for diagnosing insulin dysregulation in horses. The experiment involved 157 horses and ponies from a variety of breeds, and it involved observing glucose and insulin responses over time after offering the animals the test pellets.

Methodology

  • The study was a multicenter cohort study involving both university and privately-owned horses and ponies from 31 different breeds. The number of animals involved was 157.
  • A custom-produced glycemic pellet was administered as an oral glucose test. This was given for free intake at a dose of 0.5g/kg body weight of soluble carbohydrate.
  • To gauge the results of the test, blood glucose and serum insulin concentrations were measured, before and 60, 120, and 180 minutes after the pellets were consumed. This helped to establish the animals’ reactions and responses to the carbohydrates in the test pellets.
  • Additional secondary assessments included the animals’ acceptance of the pellets and the time it took for them to consume them. This was to assess how palatable the animals found the test pellets and to offer insights into any variance in response to them, such as if ponies were more likely to consume them readily than horses.

Results

  • The glycemic pellets were palatable to the majority of the animals in the test. Of the 157 animals, 132 found the test pellets palatable. In addition, it was observed that ponies found the pellets more palatable than horses did.
  • The median time taken by the animals to consume the pellets was around 4 minutes. There was a positive correlation noted between the intake time and the grade of acceptance of the pellets, with an increase in acceptance corresponding with a decrease in the time taken to consume them.
  • Responses to the pellets, in terms of blood glucose and serum insulin, reached a peak at 120 minutes after consumption. At this point, the optimal cut-off for the concentration of insulin was determined to be 83 μIU/mL, calculated with a confidence interval of 95% (70-99 μIU/mL) using the IMMULITE 2000XPi assay.

Conclusion

  • The study concluded that the carbohydrate pellets used as part of an oral glucose test were suitable and effective for diagnosing insulin dysregulation in horses and ponies. They were also found to be palatable to the majority of animals tested, making them a viable option for this sort of testing.

Cite This Article

APA
de Laat MA, Warnken T, Delarocque J, Reiche DB, Grob AJ, Feige K, Carslake HB, Durham AE, Sillence MN, Thane KE, Frank N, Brojer J, Lindase S, Sonntag J. (2022). Carbohydrate pellets to assess insulin dysregulation in horses. J Vet Intern Med, 37(1), 302-314. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16621

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 37
Issue: 1
Pages: 302-314

Researcher Affiliations

de Laat, Melody A
  • Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Warnken, Tobias
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, Ingelheim, Germany.
  • Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany.
Delarocque, Julien
  • Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany.
Reiche, Dania B
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, Ingelheim, Germany.
Grob, Anne J
  • Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany.
Feige, Karsten
  • Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany.
Carslake, Harry B
  • Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Durham, Andy E
  • Liphook Equine Hospital, Liphook, UK.
Sillence, Martin N
  • Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Thane, Kristen E
  • Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.
Frank, Nicholas
  • Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.
Brojer, Johan
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Lindase, Sanna
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Sonntag, Johanna
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, Ingelheim, Germany.

MeSH Terms

  • Female
  • Male
  • Horses
  • Animals
  • Insulin
  • Blood Glucose
  • Glucose Tolerance Test / veterinary
  • Cohort Studies
  • Glucose
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis

Grant Funding

  • Boehringer Ingelheim

Conflict of Interest Statement

Tobias Warnken, Dania B. Reiche and Johanna Sonntag are employees of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, Germany. During the time of the study Tobias Warnken was employed by the Clinic for Horses at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany. No other authors have a conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Delarocque J, Feige K, Carslake HB, Durham AE, Fey K, Warnken T. Development of a Web App to Convert Blood Insulin Concentrations among Various Immunoassays Used in Horses.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 24;13(17).
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