Insulinaemic and glycaemic responses to a second meal of a fibre- or starch-enriched compound feed in healthy horses.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of a second meal of a fibre- or starch-enriched compound feed on glycaemic and insulinaemic responses in healthy horses. In a cross-over design, horses were fed either a starch-enriched compound feed (SCF) or a fibre-enriched compound feed (FCF). On days of blood collection, test diets were fed in the morning (0800 h, first meal) and a second meal was fed 510 min after the first meal was finished (second meal). Significantly higher glycaemic and insulinaemic responses were associated with SCF compared with FCF. Feeding FCF for the second meal yielded similar moderate glycaemic and insulinaemic responses compared with the first meal. Feeding SCF as a second meal yielded significantly reduced glycaemic and insulinaemic responses from the first meal. In practice, evaluating glycaemic and insulinaemic responses of a single meal may not sufficiently describe the overall impact if more than one meal is fed per day.