Dietary energy level and oil supplementation improve gut health at cold temperatures by modulating gut microbiota and metabolic states in growing-finishing pigs

Cold stress disrupts gut microbiota and impairs growth; therefore, in cold regions, threats to livestock health constrain the potential of animal production.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effects of different dietary energy levels, adjusted by oil addition, on gut microbiota and metabolic homeostasis at cold temperatures.

Methods: Twenty-four healthy pigs were randomly divided into two groups and fed a basal diet or a basal diet supplemented with oil (with net energy increased by 100 kcal/kg) for 103 days. The cold temperature and humidity were maintained at 14 ± 2 °C and 65 ± 10%, respectively. On day 103 of the experiment, six pigs per group (three barrows and three females) were slaughtered after an overnight fast for sample collection: colon, colonic contents, plasma, and liver.

Results: Dietary oil addition modulated the gut microbiota, forming a healthier microbial community characterized by a higher abundance of Paludibacter, Parabacteroides, Peptococcaceae, and UCG-008 and a lower abundance of Actinomyces, Turicibacter, Staphylococcus, Megamonas, Fusobacterium, and Achromobacter. Consistently, dietary oil addition resulted in higher levels of short-chain fatty acids (isobutyrate and isovalerate) and the Claudin-1 protein in the colon. Plasma analysis showed that dietary oil addition increased energy metabolism and decreased inflammation. This change was characterized by higher levels of glucocorticoid, citrate, corticosterone, taurodeoxycholic acid, and ascorbic acid, and lower levels of IL-6 and hypoxanthine. Transcriptomic and protein expression results in the liver further indicated that dietary oil addition alleviated energy stress and apoptosis by modulating metabolic states at cold temperatures.

Conclusion: Dietary oil addition improved gut health at cold temperatures in growing-finishing pigs, which was directly linked to the modulation of the gut microbiota and metabolic states.

He W, Bai G, Teng T, Shi B, Wang L. Effects of Diets with Different Energy Levels at Cold Temperatures on Gut Microbiota and Metabolic State in Growing–Finishing Pigs. Microorganisms. 2025; 13(9), 2160. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13092160