Behaviour influences cholesterol plasma levels in a pig model

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Metabolic Health
• Nutritional Physiology

Background:

• The connection between eating habits and cholesterol is not well understood in humans.
• Assessing human eating behavior is challenging, limiting research.
• A pig model offers a viable alternative for studying these relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the links between feed intake, feed efficiency, eating behavior, and cholesterol/triglyceride levels.
• To determine if feed intake independent of growth and fatness (RFI) correlates with lipid profiles.
• To understand the temporal nature of these relationships.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 202 Duroc barrows, recording individual daily feed intake and behavior via electronic identification.
• Measured body weight (BW), backfat thickness, and weight gain.
• Analyzed plasma levels of total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides.

Main Results:

• High total cholesterol correlated with high HDL, LDL, and triglycerides.
• Higher BW, backfat, growth, and feed intake were associated with increased cholesterol levels.
• Residual Feed Intake (RFI) showed a positive correlation with cholesterol, indicating a long-term relationship, while intake rate's effect diminished when corrected for intake amount.

Conclusions:

• Feed intake, independent of metabolic body weight, growth, and fatness (RFI), is positively correlated with cholesterol levels.
• Consuming more feed than required for maintenance and growth presents a health risk, irrespective of an animal's fatness.
• These findings highlight the importance of managing feed intake for metabolic health.