Effects of manipulating dietary protein and energy intake on energy balance and thermogenesis in the pig

Weight maintenance was achieved by feeding either restricted amounts of a high-protein diet (HP) or ad libitum amounts of low-protein diet (LP) to 6 and 20 kg pigs for up to 42 days. In all cases, LP animals consumed approximately three times as much energy as the HP animals but in the 20-kg pigs, almost all (70%) of this excess was deposited in the carcass as fat. In 6-kg pigs fed the LP diet, changes in body energy content accounted for only a small fraction (27%) of the total energy intake; a large difference in energy expenditure was seen between these animals and the HP group, which was attributed to differences in dietary-induced thermogenesis. Six-kilogram LP pigs showed elevated plasma triiodothyronine levels and hepatic mitochondrial α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity and an enhanced sensitivity to the in vitro lipolytic effects of norephinephrine (NE) on adipose tissue. These changes are similar to those observed in rats exhibiting dietary-induced thermogenesis and the relevance of these findings to the increased heat production of LP pigs is discussed.