Zinc oxide and copper sulfate are commonly used to prevent diarrhea in weaned piglets as an alternative to antibiotics. However, this strategy has been questioned due to environmental issues and public health concerns related to bacterial resistance. Recently, it was reported that high dietary zinc levels and/or high dietary zinc/copper ratios impair zinc and copper homeostasis and are detrimental to postweaning piglets’ health. However, the eventual effects on iron metabolism are much less explored in pigs. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of dietary zinc (100, 1,000, and 3,000 mg/kg) and of different dietary zinc/copper ratios (3,000/130, 3,000/6, 100/130, and 100/6 mg/kg) on iron metabolism in weaned piglets. This study demonstrates that high dietary zinc levels, independently of dietary copper levels, impair iron metabolism by systemic and local (intestinal) mechanisms but also suggests that preweaning factors may interfere with postweaning iron homeostasis.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.