Products & Recommendations Nutrition Articles Metabolic Issues Metabolic Syndrome | Metabolic Syndrome |
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Nutritional Support for Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance in Horses By: Daniel J. Burke, Ph.D., Director of Tribute Equine Nutrition at Kalmbach Feeds BACKGROUND: Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and Insulin Resistance (IR) are being discussed with increasing frequency in the horse world today. These are two of many health issues linked to high sugar/starch (collectively termed "NSC" or no-structural carbohydrates) diets. Other maladies linked to high NSC diets include:
Most of these other topics are discussed in separate articles, but it is clear that horse owners need to seriously consider feeding lower NSC feeds to nearly every type of horse. EMS is a more current name for a syndrome that had been referred to as hypothyroidism and peripheral Cushing's syndrome. Much research has been conducted in this area to better understand the physiology of the condition, most notably by Messer and Johnson at the University of Missouri, Kronfeld, Staniar, Hoffman and others at Virginia Tech and Valberg at the University of Minnesota. See these authors for details on the EMS, as well as IR. Horses with EMS show certain, relatively definitive signs such as obesity, and develop excessive fat deposits at specific locations, especially in the crest of the neck, behind the shoulders, at the tail head, and in the sheath (geldings). Though these outward signs can be unattractive, the underlying health risks, including laminitis and muscle-performance issues, can be devastating. EMS is seen commonly in pony breeds, some mustangs, Peruvian Pasos, Paso Finos, Warmbloods, American Saddlebreds, and Morgan horses, but can occur in any breed. Most of the afflicted horses would be termed "easy-keepers". Insulin Resistance is a condition in which the horse's response to insulin is diminished, so it takes more insulin to have an effect on moving glucose in to the cells. Horses with IR will have high insulin levels and higher blood glucose levels, which result in exposure of non-insulin dependent cells to higher blood glucose, resulting in numerous health issues. Insulin Resistance is seen not only in EMS horses, but most Cushing's Syndrome horses and many obese horses. Reducing the NSC in the TOTAL DIET, hay and concentrate combined, can reduce the severity of the problem. It is difficult to control the NSC in forages, so we must focus our efforts on the concentrates. It is recommended that horses with EMS and/or IR get little or no pasture, as pasture can be quite high in NSC and horses tend to eat very fast. Consuming a diet high in NSC (most sweet feeds and some pelleted concentrates) results in significant increases in blood glucose (glycemic response), which, in turn, causes significant increases in blood insulin levels. High insulin levels cause a number of health issues and interfere with many hormones important to the horse's health. High insulin levels can last for hours after a meal, contribute to insulin resistance and affect a number of other functions in the horse's body. Elevated insulin:
Other factors that influence the blood glucose and insulin response, in addition to the NSC content of the feed, are the size of the meal, frequency of feeding and certain other nutrients, especially fat. Feeding smaller meals, more frequently (3 -4 times a day) and supplying a portion of the horse's calorie requirement with fat and highly digestible fiber sources will reduce the glucose/insulin response. WHAT IS LOW NSC? It is impossibe to get to a diet with NO NSC using traditional feedstuffs.....it would also be undesirable, as the horse needs some starch or sugar for tissues like the brain and spinal cord to function, as well as for high intensity exercise. Also, for normal gut function, most nutritionists agree the horse should have a minimum of 1% of his body weight in long-stemmed forage (hay or pasture). Forage NSC content is HIGHLY variable, depending on plant species, growing conditions, season of the year and even time of day. The huge database from EquiAnalytical at Cornell University shows forage NSC can vary from about 8% up to 21%. The average is about 14%, and research shows forages have the glycemic response of all feeds tested. In addition, horses eat forage more slowly than concentrates, which will lessen the glycemic response. Thus, it is reasonable to deduce that an NSC of 14% in the TOTAL DIET is a reasonable target. A research study conducted by Cooperative Research Farms, of which Kalmbach Feeds, Inc., is a member, confirmed this comparing the effect of a high NSC (38%) diet to a low NSC diet (18%) on blood glucose and insulin responses. Results show a significant decrease in blood glucose levels in horses with Cushing's Syndrome or Insulin Resistance when fed the lower (18%) NSC diet. The glucose response is shown below, and the insulin response mirrors the same pattern.
COMPARISON OF THE BLOOD GLUCOSE RESPONSE IN HORSES WITH CUSHING’S SYNDROME AND INSULIN RESISTANCE TO HIGH AND LOW NSC DIETS
Click here for comparison chart.
SUGGESTED NUTRITIONAL APPROACHES: It is VERY important to not ignore other critical nutrients, like amino acids, vitamins and minerals in trying to reduce the NSC in your horse's diet. Feeding amounts less than recommended by the manufacturer to lower NSC intake will result in much lower intakes of the other critical nutrients. It is also important to recognize that PERCENT NSC is only HALF the story. One must also account for recommended feeding rates. For example, let's assess two "low NSC" products, one at 11% NSC and the other at 14% NSC. The 11% NSC product has a recommended minimum feeding rate of 6 pounds per day. The 14% NSC product has a minimum feeding rate of 2 pounds per day. What is the TOTAL NSC intake? Feed 1: 11% NSC fed at 6 pounds per day = 0.11 x 6 pounds = 0.66 pounds of NSC Feed 2: 14% NSC fed at 2 pounds per day = 0.14 x 2 pounds = 0.28 pounds of NSC Due to the lower feeding rate, the 14% NSC product, when fed as directed, puts less than HALF the sugar and starch in to the horse!! In addition, the lower feeding rate product is fortified to meet the NRC 2007 requirements for all other nutrients, when fed with good hay. What is the ideal product for horses with EMS and/or IR?? TRIBUTE® ESSENTIAL K™ The graph shows that Tribute ESSENTIAL K fed at 2 pounds per day with good grass hay meets the requirements for a 1,100 pound pregnant mare. The total NSC of this diet, assuming average 14% NSC hay, will average right at 14%. It will be lower if the hay is lower in NSC. Over 90% of the NSC in this diet will come from the hay!! The 100% line on the graph shows the point at which the requirement for the particular nutrient is met. As you can see, the bars for all nutrients hit or exceed the 100% line. If added calories are desired for body condition, we suggest COOL OMEGA 40+™, COOL CALORIES 100®, or Tribute KALM N EZ™ as low NSC, high fat calorie sources.
CP = Crude Protein Lys = Lysine (the most limiting amino acid) Ca = Calcium P = Phosphorous Cu = Copper Zn = Zinc Se = Selenium VitA = Vitamin A VitD = Vitamin D VitE = Vitamin E See our detailed EK feeding charts in our Overview section.
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Tags: Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) Insulin Resistance (IR) Developmental Orthopedic disease (DOD) PSSM/EPSM (equine polysaccharide storage myopathy) Tying up (RER - recurrent equine rhabdomyolosis) Laminitis (founder) Cushing's Syndrome Obesity Colic Ulcers LOW NSC |
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