Pigs as Models for Nutrient Functional Interaction

Abstract

The use of pigs in studies, not only of growth and development of mammalian neonates but also of degenerative problems that accompany aging, has a long history. In this section, scientists address the use of pigs in both respects. Partly because the pig will consume a wide variety of diets, there also has been a traditional emphasis on investigation of the impact of nutrition on these aspects of health. The continuing strength of this area of investigation is born out amply by the papers in this section and they are examples of how the research continues to expand in scope. In so doing, interest is turning increasingly towards studies that focus on mechanistic, including genetic, investigations. Specific foci of the nutrition papers are: a) metabolic development and the use of the pig as a model for studying human neonate organic nutrient metabolism, b) intestinal development with an emphasis on functional development, c) the role of the pig as a model for the impact of intestinal disease, particularly diarrheal illness, on intestinal function and d) the use of pigs in studies of genetic manipulation of lipid metabolism and relationships of lipid metabolism to circulatory diseases.