Student Successes – New Theses Published
In her University of Guelph PhD research, Anna Garland investigates how being overweight impacts horses—focusing on both the physical changes in fat tissue and the inflammatory effects on joint cartilage. Across four studies, she discovered that inflamed fat tissue can trigger more inflammation in cartilage than direct exposure to bacterial toxins. In one study, horses were fed to gain weight over 16 weeks, and measurements showed that fat wasn’t distributed uniformly—spots like the tailhead and neck held the most fat. Another study compared three weight-loss plans: exercise only, calorie restriction only, or both combined. The exercise groups lost more fat, and when these horses performed a standardized exercise test, their joints showed signs of inflammation in synovial fluid, whereas the diet-only group showed lower levels of inflammatory markers. Overall, Garland’s work suggests that exercise-based weight loss may improve body composition faster, but may also stress joints—highlighting the need to balance weight management with inflammation control in overweight horseshttps://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/items/4bc170b4-4405-4e2b-a747-207543af902c
