Nutraceutical Supplement Mitigates Insulin Resistance in Horses with a History of Insulin Dysregulation During a Challenge with a High-Starch Diet.
Abstract: Insulin dysregulation (ID) is associated with an increased risk of laminitis which often necessitates the need for clinical intervention. To test the contention that the prophylactic supplementation of nutraceuticals could mitigate ID in susceptible horses, 16 mature horses with a history of ID were supplemented with either the placebo (n = 8) or nutraceutical (n = 8) once daily. Horses were housed in dry lots with ad libitum access to grass hay and fed a concentrate twice daily to provide 0.5 g starch/kg BW/meal. A combined glucose-insulin tolerance test was performed on all horses before and after 4 weeks of treatment. Nutraceutical-supplemented horses had 61% greater (p = 0.05) glucose clearance rates compared to the placebo group. This resulted in a shorter time in the positive phase of glucose clearance (p = 0.03) for the nutraceutical group compared to the placebo group. Horses receiving the nutraceutical had lower (p = 0.003) insulin concentrations at 75 min and lower (p = 0.04) glucose concentrations at 45 min compared to the placebo. Prophylactic supplementation with nutraceuticals resulted in greater glucose clearance rates during a starch challenge, indicating that nutraceuticals can mitigate ID in susceptible horses consuming an excess of non-structural carbohydrate.
Publication Date: 2024-11-25 PubMed ID: 39682351PubMed Central: PMC11640219DOI: 10.3390/ani14233385Google Scholar: Lookup
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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 research study investigates how a nutraceutical supplement can help in reducing insulin resistance in horses with a history of insulin dysregulation, especially when these horses are on a high-starch diet. This study shows improvement in glucose clearance in horses that were given this supplement.
Research Goals and Methodology
- The main objective of the research was to understand and test if nutraceutical supplementation could reduce insulin resistance in horses with a history of insulin dysregulation (ID). ID in horses can increase the risk of laminitis, a painful condition affecting the horse’s hooves. The researchers formulated a hypothesis that nutraceutical supplements could potentially provide a protective effect against ID.
- For the purpose of the experiment, 16 mature horses with a history of ID were selected and divided into two equal groups – one that received the supplement and a placebo group. The horses were housed in dry lots and fed a concentrate twice daily, with additional grass hay available at all times.
- A combined glucose-insulin tolerance test was administered to all the horses before and after four weeks of treatment to measure their glucose clearance rates.
Findings and Analysis
- After the four weeks of treatment, the horses supplemented with the nutraceutical showed a 61% larger glucose clearance rate compared to the placebo group. This suggests that the supplement improved their insulin resistance, allowing these horses to clear glucose from their blood more efficiently.
- The horses in the nutraceutical group also experienced a shorter time in the positive phase of glucose clearance, meaning they were able to clear glucose at a faster rate compared to the placebo group.
- The research further showed that the nutraceutical-supplemented horses had lower insulin concentrations at 75 minutes and lower glucose concentrations at 45 minutes compared to the placebo group. Lower insulin concentration suggests that the horses’ bodies were producing less insulin, signifying an improvement in insulin sensitivity.
Conclusion
- Based on these findings, the research concludes that prophylactic supplementation with nutraceuticals results in greater glucose clearance rates during a starch challenge. This indicated that nutraceuticals could potentially help in mitigating insulin dysregulation in horses, particularly those consuming high quantities of non-structural carbohydrates.
- This research suggests a potential role for nutraceutical supplementation in the management and prevention of insulin dysregulation in horses, which can contribute to the prevention of laminitis. However, potential practical applications may require further research involving larger and more diverse horse populations.
Cite This Article
APA
Loos C, Castelein A, Vanzant E, Adam E, McLeod KR.
(2024).
Nutraceutical Supplement Mitigates Insulin Resistance in Horses with a History of Insulin Dysregulation During a Challenge with a High-Starch Diet.
Animals (Basel), 14(23).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14233385 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
- Nutrition Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
- Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40503, USA.
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
Grant Funding
- 0001 / Cooperative Research Farms
Conflict of Interest Statement
Cooperative Research Farms provided the nutraceutical supplement used in this study. The funder was not involved in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data or in the decision to submit it for publication. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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