Increased rates
of digestion,
absorption,
and tissue mobilization
for
fetal and mammary growth
and milk production
favor overproduction
of free radicals and cause oxidative stress in the maternal body (Castillo et al., 2005).Feed additives, to improve antioxidant capacity in sows beneficial to increasing litter size and promoting preweaning piglet growth, include vitamin E, vitamin C, carotenoids, and selenium (Loudenslager et al., 1986; Lykkesfeldt and Svendsen, 2007).