Factors influencing serum cholesterol levels in swine

Factors that influence serum cholesterol levels in swine were examined. Body weight and dam had significant influences on the serum cholesterol levels. No effects of age of pig (50-59 days of age), sex, farrow, sire, or litter size on serum cholesterol levels were detected. The heritability of serum cholesterol in swine estimated in this study is about 25 percent. Two generations of selection appear to have produced lines of pigs characterized by serum cholesterol levels that are genetically distinct with an estimate of realized heritability of 0.22.