Endocrinopathic Laminitis: Reducing the Risk Through Diet and Exercise

Summary

# Editorial Summary: Endocrinopathic Laminitis — Reducing Risk Through Diet and Exercise Whilst some horses appear inherently susceptible to pasture-associated laminitis recurrence, the underlying physiological mechanisms driving this predisposition remain incompletely understood. Menzies-Gow examines how insulin sensitivity and inflammatory status can be modulated through targeted dietary and exercise interventions to reduce endocrinopathic laminitis risk. Both modalities demonstrate efficacy: exercise reliably decreases insulin resistance whilst simultaneously suppressing inflammatory markers, whilst dietary modification can produce significant improvements in insulin sensitivity independent of weight loss. For practitioners managing at-risk individuals, these findings underscore the dual importance of developing structured exercise programmes and implementing low-nonstructural carbohydrate feeding strategies as foundational preventative measures rather than reactive treatments. This integrated approach addresses the metabolic dysfunction at the root of laminitis susceptibility rather than merely managing acute episodes, offering genuine disease prevention potential for horses with documented endocrinopathy or recurrent episodes.

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Key Findings

• •Exercise reduces insulin resistance and suppresses inflammation in predisposed horses
• •Dietary manipulation can significantly improve insulin sensitivity
• •Combined exercise and diet strategies reduce risk of recurrent endocrinopathic laminitis
• •Individual predisposition to pasture-associated laminitis involves underlying endocrinopathic mechanisms

Conditions Studied