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Dietary fiber in late gestation may affect sow physiology, colostrum quality, gut microbiota, and piglet performance.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine whether increasing fiber levels enhances sow health and reproductive outcomes.
Methods: Forty pregnant Landrace × Yorkshire sows (parity 2 or 4) were allocated to either a low-fiber (5.2%) or high-fiber (7.7%) diet from day 85 of gestation until parturition, after which all sows received a common lactation diet. Sow performance, constipation, nutrient digestibility, colostrum quality, cord blood parameters, and gut microbiota profiles were assessed. Piglet growth performance was recorded until weaning. Correlation analyses were conducted to examine associations between bacterial taxa and physiological indicators.
Results: High-fiber sows showed improved piglet vitality, higher fecal scores, and lower constipation rates. Colostrum protein, total solids, IgA, and IgM concentrations were increased in high-fiber sows. Cord blood glucose and IL-10 were reduced, whereas endothelial nitric oxide synthase was elevated. Digestibility of crude fiber, acid detergent fibre, and neutral detergent fibre increased, while protein digestibility decreased. Gut microbiota analysis indicated increased abundances of Lactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group, and Methanobrevibacter, and decreased Treponema, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001, and Escherichia-Shigella. Piglets from high-fiber sows exhibited greater average daily gain and weaning weight. Beneficial associations were observed for Lactobacillus, Terrisporobacter, and Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group with reproductive traits; Phascolarctobacterium and X-Eubacterium_ruminantium_group correlated with piglet growth, while Treponema and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group were negatively associated with constipation. Higher dietary fiber in late gestation improved gastrointestinal function, colostrum quality, and piglet growth, likely through enhanced fiber digestibility and favorable modulation of gut microbiota.
Conclusion: These findings support increased fiber supplementation to optimize sow and piglet health.
Cong G, Liu C, Xia S, Li J, Hung I. Dietary fibre supplementation in late gestation modulates gut microbiota and improves reproductive performance and colostrum quality in sows. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2025; 16: 1667697. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1667697