Podcast #125 – Why Is Sugar Toxic For Horses?
Published on May 8, 2024
This podcast is about sugar as a fuel for our horses to use when it’s needed to run away from danger. However, I also tell the story of the risks of eating more sugar daily than is required to fuel the body.
The first thing to know is that the body can make all the sugar needed to make it through the day. Adding sugar to food is required for only two things: replenishing stored sugar as glycogen for the next emergency and storing it as body fat for future use. Think of it as cash that you have either quick access to on a bank debit card (glycogen) or cash stored in a long-term asset requiring time to get, such as stocks or property (body fat). Further, think of using fat as fuel steadily released from body fat into the cell, like dividends automatically deposited into your bank.
When sugar is released freely into the blood or cells, it sticks to proteins, preventing them from doing their jobs and causing damage. Over time, this damage will cause the demise of the cell and the horse.
So why are you still feeding grain and giving hay 24/7?
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