Insulin resistance is associated with a range of diseases in both horses and humans. In horses, it is linked to conditions such as laminitis, hyperlipaemia, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), Cushing's disease (PPID - Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction), osteochondrosis, colic, and grass founder. In humans, insulin resistance is connected to type II diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome, and colorectal cancer.

Laminitis is an acutely painful and disabling condition that occurs where the lamellae (the delicate folds of tissue that attach the pedal bone to the inside of the hoof wall) become inflamed and may eventually tear apart. The result is partial or total destruction of the strong bond that supports the horses body weight by anchoring the inner wall of the hoof to the pedal bone (the furthest extent of the leg).