Effects of the Ingestion of Ripe Mangoes on the Squamous Gastric Region in the Horse.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research article explores the impact of mango consumption on a horse’s digestive system. The study finds that excessive ingestion of mangoes can cause digestive disruptions, including gastric ulcers; however, horses naturally recover within 15 days after cessation of mango consumption.
Research Objective
The main aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ripe mango ingestion, including peels, on the digestive processes of horses. This was particularly of interest because horses in tropical regions may feast on fruits like mangoes that are high in soluble carbohydrates. However, there isn’t much knowledge about how these foods interact with a horse’s digestive system.
Study Design and Participants
- Participants were five purebred Arabian horses, roughly 13 years old and weighing around 340 kg.
- Horses were evaluated using video gastroscopy and blood analysis.
- A controlled postprandial glucose curve for mango intake was conducted to monitor glucose levels after mango consumption.
- Gastroscopies were carried out every 15 days from December (pre-harvest period) to February (post-harvest period).
- Blood collection for analysis coincided with gastroscopy dates.
Key Findings
- Four out of the five horses developed erosions and ulcers in the squamous region of their stomachs between 15 to 30 days after the start of the mango-harvesting season.
- There was a notable decrease in plasma proteins during the mango-harvesting period.
- Postprandial glucose curve indicated glucose concentrations above 200 mg/dL between 30 to 180 minutes after consumption of approximately 5.37 kg of mangoes.
- The horses recovered naturally from the digestive disturbances about 15 days after the end of the harvesting season when they returned to their regular diet of hay and grass pasture.
Conclusion
The study concluded that indiscriminate ingestion of mangoes instigates the occurrence of lesions in the squamous gastric region in horses. However, the animals naturally recover approximately 15 days after they stop consuming mangoes and revert to their typical hay and grass diet. This highlights the importance of monitoring the diet of horses in tropical regions where fruit availability fluctuates seasonally.
Cite This Article
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Núcleo de Pesquisa Equina, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil.
- Núcleo de Pesquisa Equina, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil.
- Núcleo de Pesquisa Equina, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil.
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Centro Universitário Cesmac, Maceió 57051-160, AL, Brazil.
- Núcleo de Pesquisa Equina, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil.
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias (ULHT), Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal.
- Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Universidade de Évora, 7005-869 Évora, Portugal.
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil.
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas 96010-610, RS, Brazil.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo Universitario Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo Universitario Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy.
- Núcleo de Pesquisa Equina, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil.
Conflict of Interest Statement
References
- Colombino E, Raspa F, Perotti M, Bergero D, Vervuert I, Valle E, Capucchio MT. Gut health of horses: Effects of high fibre vs. high starch diet on histological and morphometrical parameters.. BMC Vet. Res. 2022;18:338.
- Sykes BW, Hewetson M, Hepburn RJ, Luthersson N, Tamzali Y. European College of Equine Internal Medicine Consensus Statement—Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Adult Horses.. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2015;29:1288–1299.
- Cate RE, Nielsen BD, Spooner HS, O’Connor-Robison CI, Schott II HC. Prevalence of gastric ulcer and relationship to other parameters in Standardbred racehorses.. Comp. Exerc. Physiol. 2012;1:47–52.
- Hewetson M, Tallon R. Equine squamous gastric disease: Prevalence, impact and management.. Vet. Res. 2021;12:381–399.
- Murray MJ, Schusser GF, Pipers FS, Gross SJ. Factors associated with gastric lesions in Thoroughbred racehorses.. Equine Vet. J. 1996;28:368–374.
- Camacho-Luna P, Andrews FM. Recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Equine Vet. Educ. 1999;11:262–272.
- Gordon ME, McKeever KH, Bokman S, Betros CL, Manso Filho HC, Liburt NR, Streltsova JM. Training-induced energy balance mismatch in Standardbred mares.. ECEP 2006;3:73–82.
- Sandin A, Skidell J, Häggström J, Nilsson G. Postmortem findings of gastric ulcers in Swedish horses older than age one year: A retrospective study of 3715 horses (1924–1996). Equine Vet. J. 2000;32:36–42.
- Hepburn R. Gastric ulceration in horses.. Practice 2011;33:116–124.
- Videla R, Andrews FM. New perspective in equine gastric ulcer syndrome.. Vet. Clin. Equine. 2009;25:283–301.
- Sykes BW, Jokisalo JM. Rethinking equine gastric ulcer syndrome: Part 2–Equine squamous gastric ulcer syndrome (ESGUS). Equine Vet. Educ. 2015;27:264–268.
- Speirs VC. Exame Clínico de Equinos.. .
- Al Jassim RAM, McGowan T, Andrews FM, McGowan C. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Final Report.. .
- Conner AL, Davis AJ, Porr CA. Effects of a dietary supplement on gastric ulcer number and severity in exercising horses.. Transl. Anim. Sci. 2012;2:119–124.
- Andrews FM, Larson C, Harris P. Nutritional management of gastric ulceration.. Equine Vet. Educ. 2015;29:45–55.
- Jacobs RD, Gordon ME, Vineyard KR, Keowen ML, Garza Jr F, Andrews FM. The Effect of a Seaweed-Derived Calcium Supplement on Gastric Juice pH in the Horse.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2020;95:103265.
- . FoodData Central-Mangos, Raw.. .
- Pereira LGR, Barreios DC, Oliveira LS, Ferreira AL, Mauricio RM, Azevedo JAG, Figueiredo MP, Sousa LF, Cruz PG. Composição química e cinética de fermentação ruminal de subprodutos de frutas no sul da Bahia-Brasil.. Livest Res. Rural. Dev. 2008;20:1–11.
- Araújo LF, Aguiar EM, Silva ICB, Xavier GAM, Bezerra MC. Utilização de subprodutos da manga como alimentos alternativos na dieta dos animais: Revisão de literatura.. Nutrition-Time Revevista Eletrônica Viçosa 2016;13:4627–4636.
- Mellor DJ, Beausoleil NJ. Extending the ‘Five Domains’ model for animal welfare assessment to incorporate positive welfare states.. Anim. Welf. 2015;24:241–253.
- Le Jeune SS, Nieto JE, Dechant JE, Snyder JR. Prevalence of gastric ulcers in Thoroughbred broodmares in pasture: A preliminary report.. Vet. J. 2009;181:251–255.
- Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Alberti E, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Effects of a nutraceutical supplement in the management of mild equine squamous gastric disease in endurance horses.. Vet. Rec. 2021;189:e942.
- Reese RE, Andrews FM. Nutrition and Dietary Management of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome.. Vet. Clin. Equine. 2009;25:79–92.
- Lorenzo-Figueras M, Preston T, Ott EA, Merritt AM. Meal-induce gastric relaxation and emptying in horses after ingestion of high-fat versus high-carbohydrate diets.. Am. J. Vet. Res. 2005;66:897–906.
- Pinneo S, O’Mealy C, Rosas M, Jr, Tsang M, Castro R, Sagisi S, Molina T, Hinton C, Leisenring S, Fajardo J. Effects of fresh mango fruit consumption on glucose, insulin, and satiety hormones.. CDN. 2020;4:453.
- Perkins GA, den Bakker HC, Burton AJ, Erb HN, McDonough SP, McDonough PL, Parker J, Rosenthal RL, Wiedmann M, Dowd SE. Equine stomachs harbor an abundant and diverse mucosal microbiota.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2012;78:2522–2532.
- Cipriano-Salazar M, Adegbeye MJ, Elghandour MMMY, Barbabosa-Pilego A, Mellado M, Hassan A, Salem AZM. The Dietary Components and Feeding Management as Options to Offset Digestive Disturbances in Horses.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2019;74:103–110.
- Sanz MG, Viljoen A, Saulez MN, Olorunju S, Andrews FM. Efficacy of a pectin-lecithin complex for treatment and prevention of gastric ulcers in horses.. Vet. Rec. 2014;175:147.
- Stucchi L, Zucca E, Serra A, Stancari G, Ceriotti S, Conturba B, Ferro E, Ferrucci F. Efficacy of the Administration of a Natural Feed Supplement in the Management of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in 7 Sport Horses: A Field Trial.. Am. J. Anim. Vet. 2017;12:104–110.
- Mélo SKM, Santiago TA, Duarte TL, Abreu JMG, da Costa Cordeiro Manso HEC, Manso Filho HC. A Proton-Pump Inhibitor Modifies the Concentration of Digestion Biomarkers in Healthy Horses.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2014;34:1318–1323.
- Davis JL. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug associated right dorsal colitis in the horse.. Equine Vet. Educ. 2017;29:104–113.
- Rebalka IA, Lindenger MI. In vitro Validation Assessment of a Fecal Occult Blood Protein Test for Horses.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2021;104:103695.
- Spanton JA, Smith L, Mair TS. A clinical audit of the prevalence of colic in the 48 hours after gastroscopy in 436 horses.. Equine Vet. Educ. 2020;32:12–15.
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Piccione G, Arfuso F, Giudice E, Aragona F, Pugliatti P, Panzera MF, Zumbo A, Monteverde V, Bartolo V, Barbera A, Giannetto C. Dynamic Adaptation of Hematological Parameters, Albumin, and Non-Esterified Fatty Acids in Saddlebred and Standardbred Horses During Exercise. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jan 21;15(3).
- Zhou K, Dong Z, Zhou X, Zhai B, Li B, Zhang J, Cheng F. The Prevalence of Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in 395 Horses in Jiangyin City, China, Jiangsu Province. Animals (Basel) 2024 Dec 17;14(24).
- Souza LA, Hunka MM, Rezende Júnior SF, Silva CJFLD, Manso HECDCC, Simões J, Coelho CS, Fazio F, Aragona F, Manso Filho HC. Potential use of beet-pulp concentrate supplementation in athletic horse. Heliyon 2025 Jan 15;11(1):e40961.
- Deniz Ö, Aragona F, Murphy BA, Tümer KÇ, Bozacı S, Fazio F. Climate change impact on blood haemogram in the horse: a three-year preliminary study. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1482268.