Effect of age and dietary carbohydrate profiles on glucose and insulin dynamics in horses.
Abstract: Glucose and insulin dynamics may be different in adult and aged horses. Objective: To determine the effects of age and dietary carbohydrates on glucose and insulin dynamics in healthy horses. Methods: Balanced Latin square with four isocaloric diets: CONTROL (hay plus restricted-starch-and-sugar fortified pellets), STARCH (control plus kibbled corn), FIBER (control plus unmolassed sugar beet pulp/soybean hull pellets) and SUGAR (control plus dextrose powder). Methods: A total of 16 healthy Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds divided into two age groups: ADULT (8.8 ± 2.9 years; n = 8) and AGED (20.6 ± 2.1 years; n = 8). Following dietary adaptation, horses underwent an insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGTT), modified oral sugar test (OST) and dietary meal challenge. Outcome variables included: insulin sensitivity (SI), disposition index (DI), glucose effectiveness (Sg) and acute insulin response to glucose (AIRg) from the FSIGTT; peak glucose, peak insulin, time to peak, area under the curve for glucose (AUCg) and insulin (AUCi) from the OST and dietary meal challenge. Data were analyzed using multivariable linear mixed regression modelling. Results: AIRg was higher in AGED (mean [95% confidence interval]; 582.0 [455.0-709.0]) vs. ADULT (358.0 [224.0-491.0]; P = 0.03). ADULT and AGED horses had a higher SI on STARCH (adult: 3.3 [2.3-4.2]; aged: 2.8 [1.9-3.7]) and SUGAR (adult: 3.4 [2.5-4.3]; aged: 4.0 [3.1-4.9]) diets compared with CONTROL (adult: 2.0 [1.1-2.9], P = 0.029 (starch), P = 0.009 (sugar); aged: 1.4 [0.5-2.2], P = 0.009 (starch), P < 0.001 (sugar)). Feeding a STARCH (adult: 21581.0 [15029.0-28133.0]; aged: 35205.0 [29194.0-41216.0]) or SUGAR (adult: 26050.0 [19885.0-32215.0]; aged: 25720.0 [19770.0-31670.0]) meal resulted in postprandial hyperinsulinaemia (AUCi). Conclusions: Study cohort contained two insulin-sensitive breeds and no insulin-resistant breeds. Conclusions: Age and diet should be considered when evaluating glucose and insulin dynamics.
© 2017 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2017-09-13 PubMed ID: 28833406DOI: 10.1111/evj.12745Google 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
- Randomized Controlled Trial
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 study investigates how different carbohydrate diets influence blood glucose and insulin levels, considering the age of thoroughbred and standardbred horses. It found that dietary carbohydrates and age are important factors in analyzing glucose and insulin dynamics.
Methods
- In this study, the researchers used a balanced Latin square design with four isocaloric (equal in calorie content) diets. The diets were control, starch, fiber, and sugar.
- To conduct the research, they examined 16 healthy Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds of two age groups: Adult (8.8 ± 2.9 years; n = 8) and Aged (20.6 ± 2.1 years; n = 8).
- Following a period of dietary adaptation, horses underwent several tests, including an insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGTT), a modified oral sugar test (OST), and a dietary meal challenge.
- Different variables were analyzed such as insulin sensitivity (SI), disposition index (DI), glucose effectiveness (Sg) and acute insulin response to glucose (AIRg).
- The data collected were then analyzed using multivariable linear mixed regression modelling.
Results
- The research found that AIRg was higher in aged horses compared to adult horses.
- Both adult and aged horses showed higher insulin sensitivity (SI) when on starch and sugar diets compared to the control diet.
- Feeding a starch or sugar meal resulted in postprandial hyperinsulinaemia (unusually high levels of insulin in the blood after a meal) regardless of the horse’s age.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that age and diet should be considered when evaluating glucose and insulin dynamics.
- The two different horse breeds used in the study were insulin-sensitive, but no insulin-resistant breeds were included. This could influence the generalizability of the study results as some horse breeds might respond differently to the diets.
Cite This Article
APA
Jacob SI, Geor RJ, Weber PSD, Harris PA, McCue ME.
(2017).
Effect of age and dietary carbohydrate profiles on glucose and insulin dynamics in horses.
Equine Vet J, 50(2), 249-254.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12745 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
- Massey University College of Sciences, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
- Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
- Equine Studies Group, WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, Leicestershire, UK.
- University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Aging
- Animal Feed / analysis
- Animals
- Blood Glucose
- Diet / veterinary
- Dietary Carbohydrates / analysis
- Dietary Carbohydrates / metabolism
- Female
- Glucose / metabolism
- Horses / blood
- Horses / physiology
- Insulin / metabolism
- Male
Citations
This article has been cited 16 times.- Weinert-Nelson JR, Biddle AS, Sampath H, Williams CA. Fecal Microbiota, Forage Nutrients, and Metabolic Responses of Horses Grazing Warm- and Cool-Season Grass Pastures.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Feb 22;13(5).
- Warnken T, Schaub C, Delarocque J, Frers F, Feige K, Sonntag J, Reiche DB. Palatability, glycemic, and insulinemic responses to various carbohydrate formulations: Alternatives for the diagnosis of insulin dysregulation in horses?. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jan;37(1):282-291.
- 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. Carbohydrate pellets to assess insulin dysregulation in horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jan;37(1):302-314.
- Loos CMM, Urschel KL, Vanzant ES, Oberhaus EL, Bohannan AD, Klotz JL, McLeod KR. Effects of Bromocriptine on Glucose and Insulin Dynamics in Normal and Insulin Dysregulated Horses.. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:889888.
- Knowles EJ, Elliott J, Harris PA, Chang YM, Menzies-Gow NJ. Predictors of laminitis development in a cohort of nonlaminitic ponies.. Equine Vet J 2023 Jan;55(1):12-23.
- Kinsella HM, Hostnik LD, Snyder HA, Mazur SE, Kamr AM, Burns TA, Mossbarger JC, Toribio RE. Comparison of insulin sensitivity between healthy neonatal foals and horses using minimal model analysis.. PLoS One 2022;17(1):e0262584.
- Daradics Z, Crecan CM, Rus MA, Morar IA, Mircean MV, Cătoi AF, Cecan AD, Cătoi C. Obesity-Related Metabolic Dysfunction in Dairy Cows and Horses: Comparison to Human Metabolic Syndrome.. Life (Basel) 2021 Dec 16;11(12).
- Rodrigues PG, Garcez DSM, Silva CM, Santana CCS, Santana JCS, Lopes CDC, Muniz EN, de Oliveira Júnior GM, Silva de Moura R, de Souza JC. Use of palm bran (Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck) in partial replacement of concentrate in maintenance equine diets - a pilot study.. Arch Anim Breed 2021;64(1):273-282.
- Hicks GR, Fraser NS, Bertin FR. Changes Associated with the Peri-Ovulatory Period, Age and Pregnancy in ACTH, Cortisol, Glucose and Insulin Concentrations in Mares.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 20;11(3).
- Delarocque J, Frers F, Huber K, Feige K, Warnken T. Weight loss is linearly associated with a reduction of the insulin response to an oral glucose test in Icelandic horses.. BMC Vet Res 2020 May 24;16(1):151.
- d' Fonseca NMM, Gibson CME, van Doorn DA, de Ruijter-Villani M, Stout TAE, Roelfsema E. Effect of long-term overfeeding of a high-energy diet on glucose tolerance in Shetland pony mares.. J Vet Intern Med 2020 May;34(3):1339-1349.
- Spears JW, Lloyd KE, Siciliano P, Pratt-Phillips S, Goertzen EW, McLeod SJ, Moore J, Krafka K, Hyda J, Rounds W. Chromium propionate increases insulin sensitivity in horses following oral and intravenous carbohydrate administration.. J Anim Sci 2020 Apr 1;98(4).
- Norton E, Schultz N, Geor R, McFarlane D, Mickelson J, McCue M. Genome-Wide Association Analyses of Equine Metabolic Syndrome Phenotypes in Welsh Ponies and Morgan Horses.. Genes (Basel) 2019 Nov 6;10(11).
- Williams CA, Kenny LB, Burk AO. Effects of grazing system, season, and forage carbohydrates on glucose and insulin dynamics of the grazing horse.. J Anim Sci 2019 May 30;97(6):2541-2554.
- Durham AE, Frank N, McGowan CM, Menzies-Gow NJ, Roelfsema E, Vervuert I, Feige K, Fey K. ECEIM consensus statement on equine metabolic syndrome.. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Mar;33(2):335-349.
- de Laat MA, Sillence MN, Reiche DB. Phenotypic, hormonal, and clinical characteristics of equine endocrinopathic laminitis.. J Vet Intern Med 2019 May;33(3):1456-1463.
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
