In conclusion, intestinal integrity, function and metabolism can be compromised due to prolonged HS. This may partially be attributed to the reduced nutrient intake, as seen in the PFTN pigs, or as a consequence of potential changes in digesta flow rates and motility as a result of this reduced feed intake. Altogether, these data may help explain how HS directly and indirectly (via reduced feed intake) affected intestinal physiology, and post-absorptive metabolism and growth performance parameters observed in our previous study (
Pearce et al., 2013).