Over the last 15-20 years there has been an epidemic surge in the incidence of obesity in human populations. This trend has been triggered by a lifestyle that emphasizes overeating and inadequate physical activity. Similarly, the incidence of obesityappears to be on the rise in horses and pony populations, potentially associated with modern husbandry practices that are characterized by limited physical activity and overfeeding. In both species, there is evidence that obesity can be accompanied by anumber of metabolic and endocrine disturbances that increase risk of disease - cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in humans; laminitis in horses and ponies. The term metabolic syndrome has been used to describe the clustering of these metabolic abnormalities that, together, portend increased risk of disease. This paper briefly reviews definitions of metabolic syndrome in humans and horses, and then discusses aspects of pathophysiology with an emphasis on factors that may contribute to development of laminitis in horses and ponies with EMS.
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