Opinion: American horses are obese, too
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- United States reports that 51 % of mature light‑breed horses are obese, a prevalence slightly above Britain and about double that of Australia or Denmark.
- Equine metabolic syndrome is characterized by obesity, elevated triglycerides, autonomic dysregulation, and laminitis, mirroring metabolic disease in humans.
- Serum lipid profiles of obese horses closely mirror those of obese humans, showing similar elevations in free fatty acids and inflammatory fatty‑acid patterns.
- European College of Equine Internal Medicine identifies chronic hyperinsulinemia as the most important pathophysiologic feature of equine metabolic syndrome.
- Nonstructural carbohydrates in grain‑based feeds are a major dietary driver that raises serum insulin and disrupts metabolic regulation in horses.
Why it matters: Veterinarians and horse owners must confront rising laminitis cases, which increase treatment costs and risk of loss of valuable animals; the parallel to human obesity underscores broader metabolic health concerns.
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