Less protein in feed improves gut health in post-weaning piglets

Researchers from Italy investigated the effect of the dietary protein level on piglet growth and post-weaning diarrhoea. The post-weaning period is a challenging period in a pig’s life affecting gut health and function. The changes in diet accompanied by morphological and enzymatic maturation of the gut mucosa may negatively affect digestion and absorption. In addition, piglets are in a rapid growth phase, thus they have a larger protein requirement than the gut digestion capacity. However,