Articles
Feeding Copra Meal to Maintain Insulin Sensitivity in Horses

Feeding Copra Meal to Maintain Insulin Sensitivity in Horses

N. Richards

Proc. Australasian Equine Sc. Symp., Vol 3, 2010 pp30

Equilize Horse Nutrition Pty Ltd, Newcastle, NSW

While obesity and inactivity are almost certainly implicated in insulin resistance, diet, and specifically the consumption of high non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) feeds appear to negatively impact a horses insulin sensitivity (Treiber et al 2005; Quinn et al 2008). Feeding a low NSC diet therefore seems to be a sensible recommendation for horse owners wishing to maintain long-term insulin sensitivity. 

Reseach Goals and Overview

The objective of recent studies was to identify the level of NSC in feeds that minimally impacts post-feeding glucose and insulin responses. The goal is to recommend dietary strategies that help preserve insulin sensitivity in horses, decreasing the risk of metabolic disorders.

Study Design and Methodology

Four horses were fed four diets; 

  • 24 hour pasture access (Pasture) with 7% DM NSC; or 10 hours pasture access supplemented with either 1% bodyweight of 
  • CoolStance copra meal (Meal) with 11% DM NSC; 
  • extruded and pelleted feed (Pellet) with 25.3% DM NSC; 
  • sweetfeed (Sweetfeed) with 33.7% DM NSC. 
Supplementary feeds were divided and fed in 2 meals per day. Horses were adapted to diets for 4 days. On the morning of the 5th day, a pre-feeding blood sample was taken. Horses were fed and blood samples were collected over a 6 hour period for a total of 13 samples per horse including the pre-feeding sample. Blood was immediately centrifuged and the plasma frozen until analysis. All samples were analysed for plasma glucose and insulin. Results were statistically analysed using a restricted maximum likelihood (REML) procedure to assess the effects of diet, period, and time. The data was statistically evaluated to assess the effects of diet, time, and feeding period.

 

Key Findings 

The study revealed that diet significantly influences glucose and insulin responses in horses. Specifically: The area under the glucose response curve was significantly affected by diet (P<0.007). The insulin response was also significantly impacted (P<0.001). Importantly, the diet containing copra meal with 11% NSC did not show a significant difference from the pasture diet with 7% NSC. This suggests that feeds with a dry matter NSC level of 11% or lower may be effective as a supplementary energy source that does not compromise insulin sensitivity. 

Conclusion 

Feeding horses a diet with low NSC levels, specifically 11% dry matter NSC or less, may help maintain healthy insulin sensitivity. This can be particularly beneficial for horses at risk of metabolic disorders, supporting long-term health and performance.

References

Treiber, K.H. et al (2005). Journal of Animal Science 83, 23572364.

Quinn, W. et al (2008). Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 28, 728  738.

Scientific Articles insulin nutrition coolstance copra diabetes diet