A diet with a low protein content is a known effectful measure in reducing the incidences of post-weaning diarrhea. However, a negative side effect of this measure is that the pigs grow slower as their requirements for nutrients are not being met. A certain biological mechanism allows pigs to catch up with the lost BW gain after a period of reduced nutrient intake. To fully catch up with the reduced nutrient supply, especially essential amino acids, probably needs to be above the pig’s normal physiological needs. Thus, increasing growth by supplying essential amino acids above requirements potentially allows for using a low-protein diet without compromising the growth performance.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.