Items that come up to treat Insulin Resistance that you need to be aware of: Magnesium, Chromium, Pergolide, Thyroid Powder, Metformin.
A. Magnesium — At times, you will see ads for products with lots of Magnesium to help with cresty necks/fat deposits. Know that the new Insulin Resistance diet your horse along with the Heiro™ already has increased your levels of Magnesium to the right level. Do not waste money on supplementing more Magnesium.
1. A mature horse requires .1% Magnesium in the diet for maintenance.
2 Grass Hay (Timothy, Orchard) have about .23% - double maintenance levels.
3. Alfalfa pellets have .3% - triple maintenance levels.
4. Peanuts with the shell are .3% - triple maintenance level.
5. Alfalfa hay is .3% - triple maintenance level. Note: Alfalfa hay or pellets increase digestibility of Magnesium in the diet so it gets more absorption into the body. National Research Council, 2007.
6. Purina Enrich 32 and Buckeye Gro and Win have .4% Magnesium - 4 times maintenance level. Triple Crown 30 is 2.4% Magnesium which is 24 times maintenance.
7. Dry Beet Pulp is .23% - double maintenance level.
8. Heiro™ has .11% Magnesium via natural herbs which provides maintenance levels. In addition, mineral Magnesium is added due to studies showing how it increases Magnesium absorption rates. National Research Council, 2007.
As you can see, you are covered on Magnesium with the new Insulin Resistance diet and Heiro™ supplement.
B. Chromium— At times, you will see ads in magazines to use this to lose weight. You already will have a horse losing fat on the Insulin Resistance diet, but here are the facts:
1. No study in veterinary or human medicine has cured Insulin Resistance with Chromium.
2. No study in veterinary or human medicine has shown low Chromium levels in Insulin Resistance horses/people.
3. John Hopkins University’s Diabetes Center sees no value in using it in Insulin Resistance/Diabetes.
4. Latest study on its use in horses by LSU’s Veterinary School showed, “No effects on Glucose or Insulin concentrations”. (L. Gentry, JEVS, 19 (4) 1999)
5. Harvard Medical Center Director of Diabetes, Dr. Nathan, does not list chromium as a helpful supplement in his latest book, Beating Diabetes (2005).
Chromium supplements are available at the grocery store.
C. Pergolide
Studies have shown it will not help in Insulin Resistance cases. If your overweight horse is being given Pergolide and does not have Cushings Disease, you are getting the wrong medicine. Pergolide is not cheap and has side effects. It is excellent in treating Cushings Disease and horses with Cushings and Insulin Resistance together, but has no place in an Insulin Resistance only horse.
Note: Pergolide in cookies is not the best option. The cookies are made of oats and molasses which are Insulin Resistance triggers. Many Pergolide syrups have high sugar. Ask for methylcellulose or carboxymethylcellulose in the syrup instead of sugar based compounding syrup. Many Pergolide powders have pure sugar bases. Ask for 100% Pergolide with no sugar or Instead, have them substitute in alfalfa powdered flavoring. Do not get Pergolide made with any oil such as almond or peanut oil. These oil-based products are a problem in two different ways. 1. They are high fat and can trigger Laminitic episodes. 2. They are very difficult in keeping a consistent amount of medication throughout the bottle. The medicine settles to the bottom, so you are under and over dosing without knowing it. Again, the University of Kentucky study clearly proved high fat causes Insulin surges in horses. If your horse has both Cushings and Insulin Resistance, and you do not know yet about the Insulin Resistance, it is a problem. Many Cushings horses will go on to Insulin Resistance and that is why you need to test yearly for Insulin Resistance if you have a Cushing Horse.
D. Thyroid Powder
1. Studies show that if you remove the entire Thyroid Gland, this did not lead to Insulin Resistance. Low thyroid levels are not the cause.
2. If thyroid levels are low or at the low end of normal range (.6, .8, 1.0) you need to supplement with thyroid powder and retest in 10-14 days. Thyroid powder does help with increasing sensitivity to Insulin. (N. Franks, AJVR 66 (6) 2005, U. of TN) - brilliant study.
a. What should be the level? 2-3 uG/dl. The normal range on blood tests is between .5 and 4.0. We want a mid to high normal level between 2 and 3.
b. How much powder to feed? Start with 1 level scoop (is in Thyro-L container) once a day in the morning feed. Retest after 10-14 days. If still not there, go to 2 scoops once a day in the morning.
c. Do I stay on it? Yes. We want quality thyroid levels at all times. 1 container lasts 2 months so it is not expensive to stay on.
3. Some advocate causing purposeful thyroid hormone overdoses in order to lose weight. I do not agree with this, even if it is temporary. HEIRO™ and the Insulin Resistance diet will do this for you in a healthy way without creating a hormone imbalance to try to cure a hormone imbalance.
4. Just so you know what happens in overdosing thyroid hormone (Guyton's Medical Physiology):
a. Increases appetite – how is this going to help? It will lead to stress since you are controlling intake.
b. Decreased bodyweight due to break down of protein in muscle— can lead to muscle weakness.
c. Protein break down in bone is increased – can lead to bone weakness.
d. Vitamin needs increased— can lead to vitamin deficiency.
e. Increased body temperature — intolerant of heat can lead to heat exhaustion.
f. 
Clients find the horse over excited and "edgy".
E. Metformin (Gluocphage) in Equine Insulin Resistance
You should AVOID this drug in horses for several reasons
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Severe side effects seen in people on this drug that you need to be aware of according to the Mayo Clinic – 2008:
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Lactic Acidosis (known as “Tie-up” in a horse). “Severe muscle pain and cramping.”
- Gastrointestinal Upset (known as “Colic” in a horse) “Need to take with food to reduce stomach and intestinal side effects.” “Vomit, stomach ache, passing gas, heart burn.”
- Thyroid Condition- Drug can interfere with Thyroid medicines. Some horses need Thyroid supplement.
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Can suddenly not work any more. “At some point this medicine may stop working and your blood glucose will increase.” Mayo Clinic, 2008.
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Emergency Kit recommended. “Carry an Emergency ID Card and Glucagon Emergency Kit for emergencies” due to hypoglycemic reactions. Mosby’s Drug Guide. Not practical with horses.
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$2,300.00 a year to give to horses. One study in England dosed it in horses at 15 mg/kg – a 1,000 pound horse (454 kg) at $470.00 a bottle costs a lot to even try this drug. The study also said some horses “May need to be on it for life.” Not an economic reality.
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Requires constant/multiple blood testing to monitor. More expense.
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No FDA approval for use in horses – creates liability issues.
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No study of long-term effects on horses. Your horse is not a guinea pig.
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This drug is used for Type 2 Diabetes in people. Most horses don’t have this. They have Insulin Resistance.
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"Metformin is not an effective long-term mono therapy for increasing Insulin sensitivity in horses.” M. Vick, University of Kentucky Dept. of Vet. Sci, Reprod. 2006.
