Dietary fat supplementation and equine plasma lipid metabolism.
Abstract: Feeding of a fat-rich diet to horses may enhance the flux of fatty acids, in the form of triacylglycerols (TAG), through the circulation into skeletal muscle. This hypothesis was tested indirectly by measuring the concentration of plasma TAG and the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in post heparin plasma. Six mature horses were fed a high-fat or a control diet according to a crossover design with feeding periods of 6 weeks. The control diet contained 1.5% fat in the dry matter and the high-fat diet 11.8%. The high-fat diet was formulated by adding soybean oil to the control diet at the expense of an isoenergetic amount of corn starch plus glucose. Both diets consisted of hay and concentrate and were given on a restricted basis. Nine hours after feeding, whole plasma TAG concentration decreased significantly by 84% following fat-supplementation, whereas the whole plasma concentrations of cholesterol and phospholipids were significantly increased by 53% and 26%, respectively. The level of HDL-cholesterol was raised by 54%. The changes in plasma lipids were accompanied by a 79% increase in LPL activity in post heparin plasma. These results indicate that in the fasting state a high-fat diet raises the flux of fatty acids, in the form of TAG, into skeletal muscles as illustrated by the observed decrease in plasma TAG concentrations and increase in LPL activity. It is speculated that the increased flux of fatty acids is associated with an increased oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle which might be advantageous to exercising horses.
Publication Date: 2000-02-05 PubMed ID: 10659302DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1999.tb05268.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research investigates the impact of high-fat diets on plasma lipid metabolism in horses and suggests that this dietary adjustment can enhance fatty acid flux, possibly increasing the oxidative capacity of skeletal muscles.
Objective and Methodology
- The study aimed to examine the assumption that feeding horses a diet rich in fats can increase the flux of fatty acids, in the form of triacylglycerols (TAG), in the bloodstream into skeletal muscles.
- They tested this indirectly by measuring the concentration of plasma TAG and the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in post-heparin plasma.
- The research involved six mature horses that were exposed to either a high-fat diet or a control diet, according to a crossover design, for feeding periods of six weeks each.
- The control diet was made up of 1.5% fat in the dry matter, whereas the high-fat diet had 11.8%. The high-fat diet was generated by supplementing the control diet with soybean oil, replacing an equivalent amount of corn starch plus glucose.
Results and Findings
- The research found that the whole plasma TAG concentration of the horses fell significantly, by 84%, following the introduction of the high-fat diet.
- Alongside this notable decrease in plasma TAG, the study also reported notable increases in the concentrations of other plasma lipids. The concentrations of total cholesterol and phospholipids in the horse’s plasma significantly increased by 53% and 26%, respectively. Additionally, the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol also saw a 54% increase.
- These alterations in plasma lipids were accompanied by a 79% surge in the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in post-heparin plasma after the high-fat diet was administered.
Conclusions and Implications
- The results suggest that a high-fat diet can increase the flux of fatty acids, in the form of TAG, into skeletal muscles, given the observed decrease in plasma TAG concentrations and the increase in LPL activity.
- Researchers speculate that this increased fatty acid flux could correlate with an increased oxidative capacity of skeletal muscles. This implies that a high-fat diet might potentially be advantageous to exercising horses due to its possible role in improved muscle performance.
Cite This Article
APA
Geelen SN, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Beynen AC.
(2000).
Dietary fat supplementation and equine plasma lipid metabolism.
Equine Vet J Suppl(30), 475-478.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1999.tb05268.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Medicine and Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
MeSH Terms
- Adaptation, Physiological
- Animal Feed
- Animals
- Body Weight
- Dietary Fats / pharmacology
- Dietary Supplements
- Energy Intake
- Female
- Horses / blood
- Lipids / blood
- Male
- Triglycerides / blood
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Fehlberg LK, Lattimer JM, Vahl CI, Drouillard JS, Douthit TL. Digestibility of diets containing calcium salts of fatty acids or soybean oil in horses. Transl Anim Sci 2020 Apr;4(2):txaa001.
- Liu H, Li F, Li F, Ma Z, Wang T, Li Q, Wang X, Li K. Rumen-Protected Fat and Rumen-Protected Choline Co-Supplementation: Impacts on Performance and Meat Quality of Growing Lambs. Vet Sci 2025 May 28;12(6).
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