Healthy blood sugar is a major factor in equine health. When glucose is not efficiently delivered to or utilized by the target cells, a horse’s ability to produce sustained metabolic energy is greatly diminished. This can result in a series of metabolic consequences that increase the stress hormones (i.e., cortisol), insulin, and inflammation; reduce energy; and generate hormonal imbalances. Insulin sensitivity plays a major role in transporting sugar to the cells for energy production and is the first hormone that becomes imbalanced when blood sugar issues occur.

Unfortunately, imbalanced sugar metabolism is becoming more common due to highly processed feeds, incomplete nutrition, and multiple stresses. This can cause body tissues to become more easily stressed, inflamed, and damaged. Jack Grogan, CN, chief science officer for Uckele Health & Nutrition, has analyzed the metabolic trends and patterns in horses for 20 years and has developed nutritional products with the Uckele team that address imbalances and decrease the display of a very broad spectrum of disorders.

Grogan explains, "The effects of an imbalanced sugar metabolism can show itself in various ways depending on the genetic strengths and weaknesses of the horse or horses involved. It is very common for hoof, joint, and connective tissue issues to occur as a result of imbalanced hormonal changes, especially relative to cortisol and insulin. These same imbalances can also contribute to excessive weight gain, fat patches, decreased energy, skin issues, allergic reactions, or decreases in body weight, especially muscle mass. Your horse may be more easily stressed or spooked, or show unpredictable behaviors and general instability in form and function."

The issues that an imbalanced metabolic function generates occur because the associated hormone imbalances can have very different effects in different horses even though the underlying cause is the same