|
|
Pigs as a Human Model
Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in humans,
affecting more than 40% of the global population.
The weanling pig is an excellent animal model for human iron
nutrition studies. The anatomy and physiology of their gastrointestinal
tract as well as their diets are very similar to that of humans. Their
iron status can be readily manipulated by adjusting the dosage of the
iron injections that are routinely given shortly after birth due to the
low iron level in sow¨s milk. In addition, the rapid
growth of weanling pigs renders the animals to reach an "iron deficient state"
in a relatively short period of time. We are using weanling pigs to
study the effect of prebiotics, such as inulin, and food enzymes, such as
phytase, on iron Nutrition.
Swine Farm
The Cornell Swine Farm is considered the country's northeast hub for
research pig supply. The Facility supplies the research industry with
1000 pigs/year, which equals 1% of total state swine output.
- 50 Sow Farrow to Finish
- 2.2 litters/Sow/year
- 100 litters/year
|
| Cornell University, SwineResearch Farm, Ithaca, NY |
|
