Diabetes, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome in horses.
Abstract: Analogous to the situation in human medicine, contemporary practices in horse management, which incorporate lengthy periods of physical inactivity coupled with provision of nutritional rations characterized by inappropriately high sugar and starch, have led to obesity being more commonly recognized by practitioners of equine veterinary practice. In many of these cases, obesity is associated with insulin resistance (IR) and glucose intolerance. An equine metabolic syndrome (MS) has been described that is similar to the human MS in that both IR and aspects of obesity represent cornerstones of its definition. Unlike its human counterpart, identification of the equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) portends greater risk for development of laminitis, a chronic, crippling affliction of the equine hoof. When severe, laminitis sometimes necessitates euthanasia. Unlike the human condition, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and many other chronic conditions, for which the risk is recognized as increased in the face of MS, is less likely in horses. The equine veterinary literature has been replete with reports of scientific investigations regarding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of EMS.
© 2012 Diabetes Technology Society.
Publication Date: 2012-05-01 PubMed ID: 22768883PubMed Central: PMC3440056DOI: 10.1177/193229681200600307Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Review
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 reviews the correlation of prolonged physical inactivity with unhealthy dietary practices, resulting in obesity, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and metabolic syndrome in horses. Moreover, it also discusses an increased risk of laminitis, equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), and its impact and practices regarding the diagnosis, epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment exhibited in equine veterinary literature.
Overview of the issue
- The article focuses on the rising issue of obesity and its associated complications, such as insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, in horses due to contemporary management practices in horse-rearing.
- These practices involve extended periods of physical inactivity combined with feeding nutritional rations that contain disproportionately high amounts of sugar and starch.
- The paper elaborates on how these conditions have led veterinary practitioners to more frequently identify equine metabolic syndrome (EMS).
Comparison of equine and human metabolic syndrome
- The research compares the EMS with the human metabolic syndrome (MS) and explains that both share common fundamental factors: insulin resistance and certain aspects of obesity.
- However, unlike in humans, the recognition of EMS in horses indicates a higher risk for the development of laminitis – a severe and often crippling condition of the horse’s hoof, which in severe cases may compel euthanasia.
- Even though metabolic syndrome increases the risk of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes mellitus in humans, horses are less likely to face this risk.
Literature on equine metabolic syndrome
- The final part of the abstract acknowledges the wealth of research and scientific investigation reports on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of EMS in equine veterinary literature.
- This signifies continued efforts within the veterinary science community to understand and address the complexity of EMS and its impact on the health and life quality of horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Johnson PJ, Wiedmeyer CE, LaCarrubba A, Ganjam VK, Messer NT.
(2012).
Diabetes, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome in horses.
J Diabetes Sci Technol, 6(3), 534-540.
https://doi.org/10.1177/193229681200600307 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA. JohnsonPJ@missouri.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / blood
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / physiopathology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / therapy
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / veterinary
- Disease Progression
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses
- Insulin Resistance
- Metabolic Syndrome / blood
- Metabolic Syndrome / physiopathology
- Metabolic Syndrome / therapy
- Metabolic Syndrome / veterinary
- Obesity / blood
- Obesity / physiopathology
- Obesity / therapy
- Obesity / veterinary
- Prognosis
- Risk Factors
References
This article includes 71 references
- Johnson PJ. The equine metabolic syndrome peripheral Cushing's syndrome.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2002 Aug;18(2):271-93.
- Frank N, Geor RJ, Bailey SR, Durham AE, Johnson PJ. Equine metabolic syndrome.. J Vet Intern Med 2010 May-Jun;24(3):467-75.
- Frank N. Equine metabolic syndrome.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2011 Apr;27(1):73-92.
- Alberti KG, Zimmet P, Shaw J. Metabolic syndrome--a new world-wide definition. A Consensus Statement from the International Diabetes Federation.. Diabet Med 2006 May;23(5):469-80.
- Day C. Metabolic syndrome, or What you will: definitions and epidemiology.. Diab Vasc Dis Res 2007 Mar;4(1):32-8.
- Meigs JB, Rutter MK, Sullivan LM, Fox CS, D'Agostino RB Sr, Wilson PW. Impact of insulin resistance on risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in people with metabolic syndrome.. Diabetes Care 2007 May;30(5):1219-25.
- Mottillo S, Filion KB, Genest J, Joseph L, Pilote L, Poirier P, Rinfret S, Schiffrin EL, Eisenberg MJ. The metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk a systematic review and meta-analysis.. J Am Coll Cardiol 2010 Sep 28;56(14):1113-32.
- De Nunzio C, Aronson W, Freedland SJ, Giovannucci E, Parsons JK. The correlation between metabolic syndrome and prostatic diseases.. Eur Urol 2012 Mar;61(3):560-70.
- Hammarsten J, Peeker R. Urological aspects of the metabolic syndrome.. Nat Rev Urol 2011 Aug 2;8(9):483-94.
- Fraile JM, Puig JG, Torres RJ, de Miguel E, Martínez P, Vázquez JJ. Uric acid metabolism in patients with primary gout and the metabolic syndrome.. Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids 2010 Jun;29(4-6):330-4.
- Baranova A, Tran TP, Birerdinc A, Younossi ZM. Systematic review: association of polycystic ovary syndrome with metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011 Apr;33(7):801-14.
- . Metabolic disorders associated with obstructive sleep apnea in adults.. Adv Cardiol 2011;46:67-138.
- Gallagher EJ, Leroith D, Karnieli E. The metabolic syndrome--from insulin resistance to obesity and diabetes.. Med Clin North Am 2011 Sep;95(5):855-73.
- García-Lara JM, Aguilar-Navarro S, Gutiérrez-Robledo LM, Avila-Funes JA. The metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.. Rev Invest Clin 2010 Jul-Aug;62(4):343-9.
- McGinley B, Punjabi NM. Obesity, metabolic abnormalities, and asthma: establishing causal links.. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2011 Feb 15;183(4):424-5.
- Chang Y, Sung E, Ryu S, Park YW, Jang YM, Park M. Insulin resistance is associated with gallstones even in non-obese, non-diabetic Korean men.. J Korean Med Sci 2008 Aug;23(4):644-50.
- Scorletti E, Calder PC, Byrne CD. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular risk: metabolic aspects and novel treatments.. Endocrine 2011 Dec;40(3):332-43.
- Gottlieb AB, Dann F. Comorbidities in patients with psoriasis.. Am J Med 2009 Dec;122(12):1150.e1-9.
- Vick MM, Adams AA, Murphy BA, Sessions DR, Horohov DW, Cook RF, Shelton BJ, Fitzgerald BP. Relationships among inflammatory cytokines, obesity, and insulin sensitivity in the horse.. J Anim Sci 2007 May;85(5):1144-55.
- Vick MM, Murphy BA, Sessions DR, Reedy SE, Kennedy EL, Horohov DW, Cook RF, Fitzgerald BP. Effects of systemic inflammation on insulin sensitivity in horses and inflammatory cytokine expression in adipose tissue.. Am J Vet Res 2008 Jan;69(1):130-9.
- Bailey SR, Habershon-Butcher JL, Ransom KJ, Elliott J, Menzies-Gow NJ. Hypertension and insulin resistance in a mixed-breed population of ponies predisposed to laminitis.. Am J Vet Res 2008 Jan;69(1):122-9.
- Rugh KS, Garner HE, Sprouse RF, Hatfield DG. Left ventricular hypertrophy in chronically hypertensive ponies.. Lab Anim Sci 1987 Jun;37(3):335-8.
- Carter RA, Treiber KH, Geor RJ, Douglass L, Harris PA. Prediction of incipient pasture-associated laminitis from hyperinsulinaemia, hyperleptinaemia and generalised and localised obesity in a cohort of ponies.. Equine Vet J 2009 Feb;41(2):171-8.
- Johnson PJ, Wiedmeyer CE, Messer NT, Ganjam VK. Medical implications of obesity in horses--lessons for human obesity.. J Diabetes Sci Technol 2009 Jan;3(1):163-74.
- Waitt LH, Cebra CK. Characterization of hypertriglyceridemia and response to treatment with insulin in horses, ponies, and donkeys: 44 cases (1995-2005).. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2009 Apr 1;234(7):915-9.
- Ralston SL. Hyperglycemia/hyperinsulinemia after feeding a meal of grain to young horses with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions.. Pferdeheilkunde 1996;12:320–322.
- Durham AE, Hughes KJ, Cottle HJ, Rendle DI, Boston RC. Type 2 diabetes mellitus with pancreatic beta cell dysfunction in 3 horses confirmed with minimal model analysis.. Equine Vet J 2009 Dec;41(9):924-9.
- Johnson PJ, Scotty NC, Wiedmeyer C, Messer NT, Kreeger JM. Diabetes mellitus in a domesticated Spanish mustang.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2005 Feb 15;226(4):584-8, 542.
- Yki-Järvinen H. Liver fat in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.. Dig Dis 2010;28(1):203-9.
- Stogdale L. Definition of diabetes mellitus.. Cornell Vet 1986 Apr;76(2):156-74.
- Kuzuya T, Nakagawa S, Satoh J, Kanazawa Y, Iwamoto Y, Kobayashi M, Nanjo K, Sasaki A, Seino Y, Ito C, Shima K, Nonaka K, Kadowaki T. Report of the Committee on the classification and diagnostic criteria of diabetes mellitus.. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2002 Jan;55(1):65-85.
- Messer NT 4th, Johnson PJ. Evidence-based literature pertaining to thyroid dysfunction and Cushing's syndrome in the horse.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2007 Aug;23(2):329-64.
- McFarlane D, Dybdal N, Donaldson MT, Miller L, Cribb AE. Nitration and increased alpha-synuclein expression associated with dopaminergic neurodegeneration in equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction.. J Neuroendocrinol 2005 Feb;17(2):73-80.
- McFarlane D. Advantages and limitations of the equine disease, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction as a model of spontaneous dopaminergic neurodegenerative disease.. Ageing Res Rev 2007 May;6(1):54-63.
- McGowan CM, Frost R, Pfeiffer DU, Neiger R. Serum insulin concentrations in horses with equine Cushing's syndrome: response to a cortisol inhibitor and prognostic value.. Equine Vet J 2004 Apr;36(3):295-8.
- Jorgenson GE. Interesting case of pancreatic glycosurea.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1921;58:718–719.
- Jeffrey JR. Diabetes mellitus secondary to chronic pancreatitis in a pony.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1968 Nov 1;153(9):1168-75.
- Bulgin MS, Anderson BC. Verminous arteritis and pancreatic necrosis with diabetes mellitus in a pony.. Compend Contin Educ Pract Vet 1983;5:S482–S285.
- McCoy DJ. Diabetes mellitus associated with bilateral granulosa cell tumors in a mare.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1986 Apr 1;188(7):733-5.
- Giri JK, Magdesian KG, Gaffney PM. Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus associated with presumed autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome in a mare.. Can Vet J 2011 May;52(5):506-12.
- Ruoff WW, Baker DC, Morgan SJ, Abbitt B. Type II diabetes mellitus in a horse.. Equine Vet J 1986 Mar;18(2):143-4.
- Tasker JB, Whiteman CE, Martin BR. Diabetes mellitus in the horse.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1966 Aug 15;149(4):393-9.
- Baker JR, Ritchie HE. Diabetes mellitus in the horse: a case report and review of the literature.. Equine Vet J 1974 Jan;6(1):7-11.
- Muylle E, van den Hende C, Deprez P, Nuytten J, Oyaert W. Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in a horse.. Equine Vet J 1986 Mar;18(2):145-6.
- Navas de Solis C, Foreman JH. Transient diabetes mellitus in a neonatal Thoroughbred foal.. J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio) 2010 Dec;20(6):611-5.
- Aguilar-Bryan L, Bryan J. Neonatal diabetes mellitus.. Endocr Rev 2008 May;29(3):265-91.
- Yang JK, Lin SS, Ji XJ, Guo LM. Binding of SARS coronavirus to its receptor damages islets and causes acute diabetes.. Acta Diabetol 2010 Sep;47(3):193-9.
- Craighead JE. The role of viruses in the pathogenesis of pancreatic disease and diabetes mellitus.. Prog Med Virol 1975;19:161-214.
- Ballotti S, de Martino M. Rotavirus infections and development of type 1 diabetes: an evasive conundrum.. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2007 Aug;45(2):147-56.
- van der Werf N, Kroese FG, Rozing J, Hillebrands JL. Viral infections as potential triggers of type 1 diabetes.. Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2007 Mar;23(3):169-83.
- Scroggie DA, Albright A, Harris MD. The effect of glucosamine-chondroitin supplementation on glycosylated hemoglobin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial.. Arch Intern Med 2003 Jul 14;163(13):1587-90.
- Kuzuya T, Nakagawa S, Satoh J, Kanazawa Y, Iwamoto Y, Kobayashi M, Nanjo K, Sasaki A, Seino Y, Ito C, Shima K, Nonaka K, Kadowaki T. Report of the Committee on the classification and diagnostic criteria of diabetes mellitus.. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2002 Jan;55(1):65-85.
- Kumar PR, Bhansali A, Ravikiran M, Bhansali S, Dutta P, Thakur JS, Sachdeva N, Bhadada SK, Walia R. Utility of glycated hemoglobin in diagnosing type 2 diabetes mellitus: a community-based study.. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010 Jun;95(6):2832-5.
- Tinworth KD, Wynn PC, Boston RC, Harris PA, Sillence MN, Thevis M, Thomas A, Noble GK. Evaluation of commercially available assays for the measurement of equine insulin.. Domest Anim Endocrinol 2011 Aug;41(2):81-90.
- Johnson PJ, Wiedmeyer CE, LaCarrubba A, Ganjam VK, Messer NT 4th. Laminitis and the equine metabolic syndrome.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2010 Aug;26(2):239-55.
- Eiler H, Frank N, Andrews FM, Oliver JW, Fecteau KA. Physiologic assessment of blood glucose homeostasis via combined intravenous glucose and insulin testing in horses.. Am J Vet Res 2005 Sep;66(9):1598-604.
- Schuver A. Use of an oral sugar test to assess insulin sensitivity in healthy and insulin resistant horses [abstract]. J Vet Intern Med 2010;24(3):780.
- Wiedmeyer CE, Johnson PJ, Cohn LA, Meadows RL. Evaluation of a continuous glucose monitoring system for use in dogs, cats, and horses.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2003 Oct 1;223(7):987-92.
- Wiedmeyer CE, Johnson PJ, Cohn LA, Meadows RL, Kerl ME, Tessman RK, Perlis J, DeClue AE. Evaluation of a continuous glucose monitoring system for use in veterinary medicine.. Diabetes Technol Ther 2005 Dec;7(6):885-95.
- Johnson PJ, Wiedmeyer CE, LaCarrubba A, Messer NT, Dingfelder HA, Cogswell AM, Amorim JR, Ganjam VK. Clinical assessment of blood glucose homeostasis in horses: comparison of a continuous glucose monitoring system with a combined intravenous glucose and insulin test protocol.. J Vet Intern Med 2011 Jan-Feb;25(1):162-5.
- Carter RA, Treiber KH, Geor RJ, Douglass L, Harris PA. Prediction of incipient pasture-associated laminitis from hyperinsulinaemia, hyperleptinaemia and generalised and localised obesity in a cohort of ponies.. Equine Vet J 2009 Feb;41(2):171-8.
- Powell DM, Reedy SE, Sessions DR, Fitzgerald BP. Effect of short-term exercise training on insulin sensitivity in obese and lean mares.. Equine Vet J Suppl 2002 Sep;(34):81-4.
- Lacombe VA, Hinchcliff KW, Devor ST. Effects of exercise and glucose administration on content of insulin-sensitive glucose transporter in equine skeletal muscle.. Am J Vet Res 2003 Dec;64(12):1500-6.
- Nout YS, Hinchcliff KW, Jose-Cunilleras E, Dearth LR, Sivko GS, DeWille JW. Effect of moderate exercise immediately followed by induced hyperglycemia on gene expression and content of the glucose transporter-4 protein in skeletal muscles of horses.. Am J Vet Res 2003 Nov;64(11):1401-8.
- Sandoval DA, Guy DL, Richardson MA, Ertl AC, Davis SN. Effects of low and moderate antecedent exercise on counterregulatory responses to subsequent hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes.. Diabetes 2004 Jul;53(7):1798-806.
- Giannarelli R, Aragona M, Coppelli A, Del Prato S. Reducing insulin resistance with metformin: the evidence today.. Diabetes Metab 2003 Sep;29(4 Pt 2):6S28-35.
- Marchetti P, Del Guerra S, Marselli L, Lupi R, Masini M, Pollera M, Bugliani M, Boggi U, Vistoli F, Mosca F, Del Prato S. Pancreatic islets from type 2 diabetic patients have functional defects and increased apoptosis that are ameliorated by metformin.. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004 Nov;89(11):5535-41.
- Hustace JL, Firshman AM, Mata JE. Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of metformin in horses.. Am J Vet Res 2009 May;70(5):665-8.
- Wearn JM, Crisman MV, Davis JL, Geor RJ, Hodgson DR, Suagee JK, Ashraf-Khorassani M, McCutcheon LJ. Pharmacokinetics of pioglitazone after multiple oral dose administration in horses.. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 2011 Jun;34(3):252-8.
- Wearn JG, Suagee JK, Crisman MV, Corl BA, Hulver MW, Hodgson DR, Geor RJ, McCutcheon LJ. Effects of the insulin sensitizing drug, pioglitazone, and lipopolysaccharide administration on markers of systemic inflammation and clinical parameters in horses.. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2012 Jan 15;145(1-2):42-9.
- Suagee JK, Corl BA, Wearn JG, Crisman MV, Hulver MW, Geor RJ, McCutcheon LJ. Effects of the insulin-sensitizing drug pioglitazone and lipopolysaccharide administration on insulin sensitivity in horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2011 Mar-Apr;25(2):356-64.
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Bowlby CM, Purmessur D, Durgam SS. Equine peripheral blood CD14(+) monocyte-derived macrophage in-vitro characteristics after GM-CSF pretreatment and LPS+IFN-γ or IL-4+IL-10 differentiation.. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2023 Jan;255:110534.
- McLean NL, McGilchrist N, Nielsen BD. Dietary Iron Unlikely to Cause Insulin Resistance in Horses.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Sep 21;12(19).
- Raspa F, Vervuert I, Capucchio MT, Colombino E, Bergero D, Forte C, Greppi M, Cavallarin L, Giribaldi M, Antoniazzi S, Cavallini D, Valvassori E, Valle E. A high-starch vs. high-fibre diet: effects on the gut environment of the different intestinal compartments of the horse digestive tract.. BMC Vet Res 2022 May 19;18(1):187.
- Klein DJ, McKeever KH, Mirek ET, Anthony TG. Metabolomic Response of Equine Skeletal Muscle to Acute Fatiguing Exercise and Training.. Front Physiol 2020;11:110.
- Lindenberg F, Krych L, Fielden J, Kot W, Frøkiær H, van Galen G, Nielsen DS, Hansen AK. Expression of immune regulatory genes correlate with the abundance of specific Clostridiales and Verrucomicrobia species in the equine ileum and cecum.. Sci Rep 2019 Sep 3;9(1):12674.
- Coleman MC, Whitfield-Cargile CM, Madrigal RG, Cohen ND. Comparison of the microbiome, metabolome, and lipidome of obese and non-obese horses.. PLoS One 2019;14(4):e0215918.
- Durward-Akhurst SA, Schultz NE, Norton EM, Rendahl AK, Besselink H, Behnisch PA, Brouwer A, Geor RJ, Mickelson JR, McCue ME. Associations between endocrine disrupting chemicals and equine metabolic syndrome phenotypes.. Chemosphere 2019 Mar;218:652-661.
- Yang K, Adin C, Shen Q, Lee LJ, Yu L, Fadda P, Samogyi A, Ham K, Xu L, Gilor C, Ziouzenkova O. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 a1 regulates energy metabolism in adipocytes from different species.. Xenotransplantation 2017 Sep;24(5).
- Schermerhorn T. Normal glucose metabolism in carnivores overlaps with diabetes pathology in non-carnivores.. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2013 Dec 3;4:188.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists