02/26/2026
We haven’t had to deal with pregnancy toxemia in our animals but good information to have in the back pocket.
WEEKLY RESEARCH SHARE
High-fructose corn syrup for managing negative energy balance in sheep
Lay summary
Ketosis is a serious metabolic condition of energy deficiency in ruminants. We employed sheep to investigate whether High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), a main ingredient in soft drinks, could serve as a simple and affordable treatment. Ketotic sheep were drenched with either Coke, a mix of HFCS and carbonated water, or just plain water or carbonated water. The results show that both the Coke and the HFCS mix significantly raised blood sugar and lowered ketones, which are the main indicators of ketosis. The plain and carbonated water treatments had no effect. No significant difference was found between the results from Coke and the HFCS mix, suggesting the benefits come from the HFCS syrup itself. This study suggests that readily available and inexpensive beverages containing HFCS could be a practical on-farm solution for farmers to manage ketosis in their flocks.
Abstract
Ketosis and its severe complication in small ruminants, pregnancy toxemia, are major metabolic disorders characterized by hypoglycemia and high blood concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) resulting from negative energy balance (NEB). Although conventional treatments rely on glucogenic precursors like glycerol and propylene glycol, farmers often turn to lower-cost alternatives, including sugary soft drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and carbonated water (cWater). In this study, we evaluated the relative contribution of the primary components of Coca-Cola (Coke), used here as a representative and readily accessible energy source, in mitigating NEB in sheep. Twenty-eight Afec-Assaf ewe lambs (N = 28), fasted for 48 h to induce NEB, were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (n = 7): 1 L of either Water, cWater, carbonated HFCS solution (cHFCS), or Coke. Blood samples were collected at 0 and 1, 2, and 3 h post-treatment to measure glucose and BHBA concentrations. Glucose area under the curve (AUC) values were highest in cHFCS (2339.5 ± 628.6 mg/dL × min) and Coke (1778.5 ± 437.6 mg/dL × min), intermediate in cWater (950.8 ± 391.3 mg/dL × min), and lowest in Water (570.0 ± 184.5 mg/dL × min). ANOVA indicated significant treatment effects (P
