High Fat and Fiber Rations: Effect on Growth, Metabolic and Exercise related Disorders

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High Fat and Fiber Rations Effect on Growth,
Metabolic and Exercise related Disorders

• Amy M. Gill, Ph.D.
• Lexington, KY

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EPIDEMIC!!

• SENSITIVITY TO STARCH
• Insulin Resistance (IR),
• Equine Metabolic Syndrome(EMS),
• Cushings Disease (ECD),
• Developmental Orthopedic Disorder (DOD)
• Laminitis, Colic
• Exercise related disorders RER, PSSM
• Behavioral problems

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Why are horses developing these problems?

• ECS older population? advanced vet care..or
  daily stress/starch in diet from young age alters
  normal hormonal profiles
• EMS overweight population pear or apple
  shape similar to human diabetes cortisol
  from the omentum

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Why are horses developing these problems?

• IR why foals??? survival mode conserve body
  stores of energy.
• Mares efficient placental transfer of
  glucose
• Horses in trainingtoo much stress (cortisol
  starch..)
• Excitable behavior starch/confinement sugar
  buzz - stress

• From a digestive/hormonal standpoint, horses are
  not well equipped to digest and metabolize
  starches and sugars

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Horses Digestive Tract
Non structural Carbohydrate Digestion
Stomach
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Small Intestines
Caecum
Fiber Digestion
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Hindgut
Colon
Starch, Resistant starch, fructans, galactans.
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Events leading to Metabolic Disorders
STARCH, FRUCTAN OVERLOAD or ORGAN FAILURE
Gastrointestinal disturbance
Lactic Acid
pH
Blood Flow
Matrix Metalloproteinases(MMPs)
Kills Cecal good Bacteria Lactobacillus,
Streptococcus increase
Gut Motility Slows (Fermentation Continues)
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Daily Episodic Meal feeding.

• Sub-clinical acidosis each time in sensitive
  individuals leading to exercise, growth
  metabolic disorders?
• Predisposing developing fetus to insulin
  resistance, DOD (endocrine imbalances)?

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Increasing fat/digestible fiber in concentrates
maintains the CALORIE content of the feed but
reduces the percentage of starch in the total
ration
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Maintaining Body Condition in the Performance
Horse
Fat has 2.5 times as much calories per gram as
oats
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Vegetable fats

• Highly digestible vegetable highest, animal
  least (not recommended for horses)
• Easily absorbed from small intestine
• Bile from liver adequate
• Fats do not produce glycemic response
• Highly palatable
• Reduces excitability

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Soluble Fiber Super Fibers

• Higher in energy than most long-stemmed forage,
  equal to that of oats
• Lowers starch in the diet while maintaining high
  caloric level
• Enhances microbial fermentation rate, thus
  improving digestion of other fiber, even mature
  (poorer quality) hay
• Allows reduced hay feeding safely, if necessary

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High fat/fiber feeds produce lower Glycemic Index

• Effect of different feedstuffs on blood glucose
  levels
• Grain meals raise blood glucose/insulin higher
  than forage
• Adding fat/fiber reduces a feeds glycemic index
• Breed, age, sex, exercise can affect individual
  glyemic response

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Glycemic Index Whole Oats 100 (standard)
Beet Pulp (hydrated) 72.2 Beet Pulp rinsed 34.1
Beet Pulp w/molasses 94.8 Corn 104 Sweet Feed
(COB)107 Sweet Feed w/oil 52 Timothy Hay 32
Alfalfa 52
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Research - Glycemic Response

• Pregnant mares fed high fiber/fat rations - lower
  glucose/insulin blood levels
• Weanlings exhibiting high glycemic response -
  lower incidence of DOD when fed high fiber/fat
  concentrates
• Yearlings fed high fiber/fat - more consistant
  growth curves
• Yearlings fed high fiber/fat rations - better
  bone mineralization

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ECD, EMS and IR

• All have insensitivity to insulin aberrant
  carbohydrate metabolism
• Cannot tolerate starches, sugars, fructans
• Untreated horses eventually suffer laminitis

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Managing Horses with Metabolic Disorders

• MUZZLE when pastured
• EXERCISE
• Avoid starch, sugar in diet - grass and
  concentrates
• Use supplement/forage, no concentrate
• Feed more soluble fibers, moderate fat, mixed
  lower quality hay (but low NFC, NSC)

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Developmental Orthopedic Disease

• Physitis, Osteochondritis Dissecans, contracted
  tendons etc.
• Large, rapidly growing foals
• Erratic growth, trauma
• Genetics, nutrition, exercise

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Preventing DOD.

• Strive for moderate, steady growth rates

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GROWTH minimal ADG for horse maturing at 500 kg

• Weanling at 4 mos. - .85 kg (1.85 lbs)
• Weanling at 6 mos. - .65 kg (1.45 lbs)
• Yearling at 12 mos. - .50 kg (1.1 lbs)
• Yearling at 18 mos. - .30 kg (0.66 lbs)
• Two-year old - .20 kg ( .44 lbs)

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Use scales or regression equation to estimate
weight every month

• weight heartgirth (inches)2 X length
  (inches)
• 330 (mature horse)
• 280 weanling
• 301 yearling

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DOD

• Mineral imbalances Calcium - 0.8-1.0 Phos. -
  0.4-0.6 Copper 50 mg/kg feed
• Zinc - 150 mg/kg feed
• Protein - high levels less problem than low.

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Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD)

• Foals between 3 and 12 months of age may be
  insulin resistant
• OCD lesions most often occur during this time
• Coincides with increase of starch consumption
  by foal.

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OCD
When a starch meal is fed

• Insulin/Growth Hormone secreted in response to
  elevated blood glucose
• High Insulin concentration increases secretion of
  enzyme that causes temporary hypothyroxemia

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Abnormal hormone secretion

• Elevated Insulin/Growth Hormone continues to
  stimulate production of new cartilage
• Low Thyroxine (T4) halts the development of
  cartilage into bone
• Lesions in cartilage may be due the arrested
  conversion of cartilage into bone

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DOD - how to manage nutritionallyFeed High
fat/fiber feeds - minimize gluc./insulin changes
after meal

• Turn out - sprinting strengthens, remodels bone
  reduces insulin resistance
• Weigh regularly
• Free choice quality hay
• Feed more frequent meals

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Exertional or Recurrent Rhabdomyolosis (Tying
Up), Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM)

• TBs - muscle contractility/ca regulation -
  Abnormal excitation-contraction
• Fillies Hormonal, NERVOUS
• Insulin resistance
• Draft, QH, abnormal polysaccharide
  formation/storage

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Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS)

• 90 of performance horses combat ulcers
• Foals can be affected
• Habitat induced
• Non-glandular portion of stomach affected by
  constant acid production

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EGUS

• Forages - produces saliva - provides buffering
• Avoid high grain-low forage diets
• Hand graze stall bound horses several times/d
• Feed forages, high fat/fiber concentrates,
  increase frequency, - turn out!!!!

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Summary

• Maximize use of forages
• Utilize high fat/fiber concentrates or supplement
• Control intake of resistant starches and sugars
• Strive for steady, moderate growth rate in
  growing horses
• Reduce STRESS!

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THANK YOU!!