Fasting plasma metabolomics reveal specific dietary patterns in sow-fed neonatal piglets compared to soy- or dairy-based formula feeding.

The beneficial effects of breastfeeding on infant health is well-known; however, the mechanisms underlying these effects have not been fully elucidated. To characterize the impact of formula-vs. sow-feeding on metabolic pathways, we used untargeted metabolomics on fasting sera samples from neonatal piglets to compare effects of sow-fed and infant formula-based diets. A total of 36 piglets were weaned exclusively on ad-libitum sow-feeding for 2 days after birth and then equally split into 3 exclusive dietary groups for 21 consecutive days: continuation of ad-libitum sow-feeding, dairy-, or soy-based infant formula fed diets. Total energy intake in dairy-and soy-based infant formula diets were given to match weight gain in ad-libitum sow-fed piglets (i.e., piglets were matched by digestible energy intake). Fasting serum samples were collected at the end of the feeding period and analyzed using LC-MS. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were used to identify ions that discriminate die...