Effects of oat processing on the glycaemic and insulin responses in horses.

The research is about studying how different methods of oat processing influence the glucose and insulin levels in horses. It was observed that while all forms of oats did raise glucose and insulin levels, the way in which the oats were processed didn’t show a clear impact on glucose and insulin responses. However, oats treated with heat tended to have a lower response than untreated oats.

Research Methodology

• Six horses aged between 4 and 15 years were used for the study. Their mean body weight was about 450 kg.
• Each horse was given a different oat processing diet type, which included: untreated oats, finely ground oats, steam-flaked oats and popped oats. This was done in a random order.
• The total intake of oats varied between horses, but it ranged from 1.05 kg to 1.5 kg per day.
• The quantity of oats in the diet was adjusted to contain 630g of starch per day per horse.
• During a stabilization period of 10 days, horses were also provided with 6 kg of grass hay.

Monitoring Glycaemic and Insulin Response

• After the 10 days, blood samples were taken from the horses at specific times to check glucose and insulin levels.
• They observed that oat feeding generated a significant increase in plasma glucose and insulin concentration irrespective of the oat processing method.

Impact of Oat Processing on Glucose and Insulin Levels

• Despite the increase in insulin and glucose levels, there was no clear evidence that the type of oat processing influenced these levels specifically.
• The glycaemic index across the oat processing types varied between 94.7% (for steam-flaked oats) and 102.6% (for finely ground oats).
• Similarly, the insulin index varied between 93.8% (for popped oats) and 150.0% (for finely ground oats).

Conclusion

• The study therefore concludes that while oat intake certainly affects glucose and insulin levels in horses, the method of oat processing does not appear to have clear impact.
• However, the study also noted that thermally treated oats slightly lowered the glucose and insulin responses when compared to untreated or finely ground oats.