Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 26, 2026
14:35
Post-Myocardial Infarction Heart Failure in Closed-chest Coronary Occlusion/Reperfusion Model in Göttingen Minipigs and Landrace Pigs
Published on: April 17, 2021
9.0K
Accelerated growth without prepubertal obesity in nutritionally programmed microswine offspring.
E A DuPriest1, P Kupfer1, B Lin1
11Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
|August 8, 2014
Summary
Perinatal maternal protein restriction (MPR) in pigs leads to catch-up growth without obesity, but programs later cardiovascular risks. This study shows accelerated linear growth preserves thinness despite altered body composition.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
- Cardiovascular Health
Background:
- Poor fetal growth is linked to later cardiometabolic dysfunction.
- The role of obesity in 'catch-up' growth and associated risks is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate catch-up growth and body composition in microswine offspring following perinatal maternal protein restriction (MPR).
- To determine if obesity is integral to catch-up growth and its long-term health implications.
Main Methods:
- Microswine offspring underwent perinatal maternal protein restriction (MPR).
- Measurements included body/organ size, linear growth, weight gain, feed intake, feed efficiency, and body composition (DEXA).
Main Results:
- Low protein offspring (LPO) exhibited asymmetric growth restriction and altered organ weight ratios.
- LPO showed accelerated linear growth postnatally, preserving thinness despite similar absolute weight gain to controls.
- LPO had altered feed intake and efficiency, with normal lean:length but reduced fat:length ratios.
Conclusions:
- Perinatal MPR programs catch-up growth and cardiovascular abnormalities independently of obesity.
- Postnatal linear growth acceleration in LPO appears to preserve thinness in juvenile stages.
- Findings suggest that early nutritional programming influences later-life health risks without necessarily causing obesity.
