PSXIII-B-4 - Dietary Insulinogenic Amino Acid Restriction Improves Glucose Tolerance in a Neonatal Piglet Model

Abstract: The protein content of infant formula is above what is naturally found in human breast milk. High consumption of dietary proteins and insulinogenic amino acids (IAA) in early life are believed to increase the risk of metabolic diseases. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of IAA restriction at two different doses on glucose tolerance and growth of suckling piglets as a model for human infants. Thirty-two seven-day-old Yorkshire barrows were assigned to three milk-based diets for three weeks: 1) control (CON): 0% IAA restriction (i.e., Leu, Ile, Val, Thr, Phe, Arg and Ala); 2) 50R: 50% IAA restriction; and 3) 75R: 75% IAA restriction. All experimental diets were isonitrogenous and isocaloric. At week 2, following an over-night fast, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in all pigs via oral gavage of a 50% dextrose solution dissolved in sterile saline (1 g of glucose/kg body weight). Blood glucose (BG) concentration was recorded using a hand-held glucometer prior to and at 30-, 60-, 90-, and 120-minutes (min) post glucose administration. Growth parameters were recorded for three weeks. The data were analyzed via Univariate GLM with Dunnett’s post-hoc (SPSS^®). Compared to CON, 75R decreased the 120-min BG and total BG under the curve by 22% and 17%, respectively, following OGTT (P = 0.03). No differences among groups were observed on body weight and heart girth (P > 0.05). Relative to CON, pigs in 75R had a lower wither height on weeks 2 and 3 and body length on week 3 (P < 0.05). Pigs in 50R and 75R groups had a reduced rectal temperature than those in CON on week 2 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, restriction of dietary IAA by 75% improved the glucose clearance with no effects on body weight in a piglet model.