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Imposing a Weekly Fast on Calves Receiving a Milk Replacer Diet Once and Twice per Day: Blood Glucose and Plasma Lipid Patterns

Departments of Poultry Science, of Nutrition, and of Animal Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

ABSTRACT

Changes in concentration of blood glucose, major plasma lipid fractions and their composition, of calves fed once or twice per day with or without a weekly fast from birth to 12 weeks of age were studied. All calves were fed a milk replacer diet only.

Once per day feeding irrespective of fasting resulted in a more rapid increase in plasma triglycerides and phospholipid fractions in early postnatal life than did fasting. Such occurrence was attributed to the ingestion of the day's ration in one meal versus two. Fasting decreased (P < .001) blood glucose and elevated (P < .001) plasma free fatty acid concentration. The feeding regimen had no effect on total cholesterol, cholesterol esters, or free cholesterol concentration whereas there were increases (P < .001) with the advance of age. Changes in the fatty acid, triglyceride, and phospholipid fractions were not influenced by the feeding regimen but were a function of age and growth. The feeding regimen which favored greater dependence on mobilized lipids to maintain caloric homeostasis could be causing the tendency for calves fasted weekly to have a lower efficiency of growth in early calfhood.