Insulin dysregulation in a population of Finnhorses and associated phenotypic markers of obesity.
Authors: Box Justin R, McGowan Cathy M, Raekallio Marja R, Mykkänen Anna K, Carslake Harry, Karikoski Ninja P
Journal: Journal of veterinary internal medicine
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Insulin Dysregulation and Obesity in Finnhorses Insulin dysregulation significantly increases laminitis risk in horses, yet identifying which animals are affected remains challenging in practice; this Finnish study investigated the prevalence of insulin dysregulation in a population of Finnhorses and explored which phenotypic and management factors could help practitioners identify at-risk individuals. Using an oral sugar test on 128 purebred Finnhorses aged three years and older, researchers measured insulin responses at baseline and 60 and 90 minutes post-administration, classifying horses as insulin dysregulated if they exceeded threshold concentrations (≥33 μIU/mL at baseline, or ≥66 μIU/mL at either 60 or 90 minutes). Whilst multiple obesity markers showed statistical significance in initial analysis, only a body condition score of 8 or higher remained independently associated with insulin dysregulation in the final model; notably, 60% of the population were overweight or obese, yet only 16% met insulin dysregulation criteria. For equine professionals, these findings underscore that cold-blooded type horses with elevated body condition scores warrant closer metabolic monitoring despite some obese individuals escaping insulin dysregulation, and that owner education around objective condition assessment—rather than subjective visual evaluation alone—represents a practical welfare intervention for identifying horses at increased laminitis risk.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Regular body condition scoring (BCS ≥8 indicates elevated risk) should be implemented as a practical monitoring tool to identify horses at risk of insulin dysregulation and subsequent laminitis
- •Owner education on obesity recognition and management is critical, as 60% of this Finnhorse population was overweight or obese, suggesting widespread underrecognition of the problem
- •Consider oral sugar testing for overweight/obese horses to identify insulin dysregulation before clinical laminitis develops, allowing for preventive management interventions
Key Findings
- •60% of Finnhorses were overweight or obese (95% CI, 51%-68%)
- •16% of the study population met insulin dysregulation criteria (95% CI, 10%-23%)
- •Body condition score ≥8 was the only phenotypic marker significantly associated with insulin dysregulation in multivariable analysis (P = 0.04)
- •Obesity is associated with insulin dysregulation in cold-blooded type horses, predisposing them to laminitis