This study evaluated the effects of reducing dietary crude protein (CP) and increasing neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, manure composition and carcass parameters of lean pigs as a means of reducing the environmental load of slurry.
In general, fatter pigs show higher proportions of SFA and MUFA, but less PUFA than lean pigs [ 6, 29].
We hypothesized that Ossabaw swine with MetS would exhibit increased platelet reactivity compared with lean pigs without MetS.
In addition, changes in gut microbiota-related metabolites, including trimethylamine-N-oxide and choline, were observed in sera of obese pigs compared to lean pigs.
The results of this study clearly demonstrated marked differences in serum metabolites, hormones and body composition between obese and lean pigs under the same nutritional and environmental conditions.
In swine production, the reduction of intramuscular fat (IMF) in some breeds due to a preference selection for lean pigs, has affected meat quality.
We hypothesized that Ossabaw swine with MetS exhibit a pro-aggregatory phenotype evidenced by increased reactivity of platelets to agonists compared with lean pigs without MetS.
MetS pigs demonstrated higher platelet aggregation in response to collagen than lean pigs (area under the curve: 286 ± 74 vs 198 ± 123; P = 0.037) and a trend for heightened response to AA (AUC: 260 ± 151 vs 178 ± 145; P = 0.13).
They are very fat pigs, markedly different from modern lean pigs, and are interesting from a human biomedical perspective because they present high feed intake and propension to obesity, compatible with high values of serum leptin [ 7].
Because of similarities in nutrition and metabolism between pigs and humans [ 12, 13], genetically obese and lean pigs are useful in childhood obesity research in understanding the mechanisms responsible for development of adiposity.
