The effects of exercise training on serum gastrin responses in the horse.

This research article explores the impact of high-intensity exercise on the gastrin responses in horses by analyzing the difference in gastric hormonal responses before and after an exercise routine involving treadmill sprinting. The results indicate an increase in the horses’ post-feeding gastrin levels after the exercise program, suggesting a link between exercise and gastric endocrine function.

Study Design and Conduct

• The research involved four horses that were fed a total mixed ration of ground corn and chopped hay at 2% of their body weight, which was divided into two equal portions daily.
• The horses were fasted overnight and their serum gastrin concentration was noted just before and two hours after feeding to ascertain their regular gastric endocrine function.
• Then, these horses were put through a six-week sprint training program on a high-speed treadmill. Post this exercise regime, their serum gastrin responses upon feeding were noted again under similar conditions.

Findings and Analysis

• The researchers noted an increase in serum gastrin following feeding both before and after the training. However, the post-feeding gastrin value was significantly higher after the six weeks training session than before.
• The gastrin value after the training was calculated to be around 68.1 pg/ml (mean +/- 1 SEM), which was noticeably higher than the pre-training gastrin value of approximately 42.7 pg/ml.

Implications and Future Research

• These results provide evidence that high-intensity exercise such as treadmill sprinting can have a substantial effect on the gastric hormonal response in horses, especially upon feeding.
• However, the association of this finding with the onset and development of gastric ulcer disease in horses, a condition known to be more prevalent among race-training horses, still remains unclear.
• This conclusion, despite its current ambiguity, warrants further investigations that may help understand the correlation between exercise patterns and gastric ulcer disease in horses and potentially other similar mammals.