Maternal obesity increases insulin resistance, low-grade inflammation and osteochondrosis lesions in foals and yearlings until 18 months of age.
Authors: Robles M, Nouveau E, Gautier C, Mendoza L, Dubois C, Dahirel M, Lagofun B, Aubrière M-C, Lejeune J-P, Caudron I, Guenon I, Viguié C, Wimel L, Bouraima-Lelong H, Serteyn D, Couturier-Tarrade A, Chavatte-Palmer P
Journal: PloS one
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Maternal Obesity and Developmental Osteochondrosis in Foals Robles and colleagues investigated whether maternal obesity during pregnancy predisposes foals to metabolic dysfunction and orthopaedic disease, given rising obesity prevalence in broodmares. Twenty-four pregnant mares were stratified by body condition score (normal BCS ≤4 versus obese BCS ≥4.25) and monitored throughout gestation and lactation, with their foals assessed at regular intervals until 18 months of age using glucose tolerance testing, inflammatory markers (serum amyloid A, leptin, adiponectin), endocrine parameters, and radiographic examination for osteochondrotic lesions. Obese dams exhibited elevated inflammatory markers and insulin resistance during pregnancy, which persisted postnatally in their offspring; foals from obese mares had significantly higher osteochondrosis prevalence at 12 months of age and remained persistently insulin resistant throughout the study period, despite no differences in growth rate between groups. These findings suggest that maternal metabolic status directly influences foal insulin sensitivity and predisposes to developmental orthopaedic disease—implicating dysregulated glucose metabolism and low-grade inflammation as mechanistic links. For practitioners, this underscores the importance of managing broodmare body condition during gestation and monitoring offspring for early metabolic dysfunction, particularly when mares enter pregnancy overweight, as interventions during the critical growth phase may mitigate osteochondrosis risk.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Mare body condition at breeding significantly influences foal metabolic health and orthopaedic disease risk; maintain BCS ≤4 at insemination to reduce osteochondrosis risk in offspring
- •Foals from obese mares warrant closer monitoring for metabolic and inflammatory markers during the first 6 months of life and orthopaedic examinations at 12 months
- •Pre-conception mare nutrition and weight management programs may reduce developmental orthopaedic disease incidence in the resulting foal crop
Key Findings
- •Foals born to obese mares (BCS ≥4.25) showed increased insulin resistance and elevated serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations until 6 months of age compared to foals from normal-weight mares
- •At 12 months of age, foals from obese dams had significantly higher incidence of osteochondrosis lesions than foals from normal-weight dams
- •Obese pregnant mares demonstrated altered metabolism with elevated leptin and SAA but decreased adiponectin and urea throughout gestation
- •Maternal obesity effects on offspring inflammation persisted until 6 months but growth parameters showed no significant differences between groups