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  Discussion on Research Study: Effects of increased fiber on glucose metabolism
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Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Feb 13, 2009 - 10:34 am:

Surprisingly increasing the fiber of a starch based diet did not alter the glucose and insulin response curve of horses. However the conclusion is consistent with Horseadvice's long standing recommendation: Feeding strategies for horses with a high energy requirement should include a starch reduction per meal, rather than just the addition of purified fibre.


J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2008 Oct 13.
Effect of mixing dietary fibre (purified lignocellulose or purified pectin) and a corn meal on glucose and insulin responses in healthy horses.

Vervuert I, Klein S, Coenen M.

Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases and Dietetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

Summary The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the addition of a purified soluble (pectin) and insoluble (lignocellulose) fibre to a starchy meal on post-prandial glucose and insulin responses in healthy horses. Four horses were fed in a randomized order three different diets: (i) cracked corn, (ii) cracked corn mixed with purified lignocellulose, and (iii) cracked corn mixed with purified pectin. Each diet was adjusted to a starch intake of 2 g/kg bodyweight (BW). Lignocellulose was aligned to an intake of 0.2 g/kg BW, and pectin was fed in a dosage of 0.1 g/kg BW. Each period consisted of a 10-day acclimatization to the diet (fed once per day); during this time, the horses were fed 1.2 kg hay/100 kg BW/day. Blood was collected after each acclimatization period before and after the test meal was fed, without any hay. The increase in plasma glucose and insulin, peak values, and area under the curves were similar for all diets. The present findings suggest that adding purified soluble or insoluble fibre to a corn meal does not affect post-prandial glucose and insulin responses in healthy horses. Feeding strategies for horses with a high energy requirement should include a starch reduction per meal, rather than the addition of purified fibre.
New Member:
kmftuc

Posted on Friday, Feb 13, 2009 - 9:26 pm:

My colleagues and I have had some real "go rounds" about this and thought I was on the losing side of the argument weighing in on the side of reduced starch and them swearing fiber was enough to do the job. Good to see reducing starch does make a difference. Wonder how this applies to heterozygous HYPP horses who need the insulin push to help move the excessive Potassium?
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