Dietary Supplementation with Fermented Milk Improves Growth Performance and Intestinal Functions in Intrauterine Growth-Restricted Piglets

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) commonly occurs in pigs and poses a significant challenge to the swine industry. This study investigated the effect of fermented milk on growth performance and intestinal health in IUGR-affected piglets. A total of 24 28-day-old weaned piglets with IUGR were randomly assigned to a corn-soybean basal diet (control) or a basal diet mixed with fermented milk (3:1 w/v, treatment). The results showed that fermented milk increased the average daily gain and decreased the feed-to-gain ratio (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Fermented milk increased the villus height in the duodenum and decreased the jejunal crypt depth (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Pigs in the treatment showed higher activities of lipase, α-amylase, and sucrase in the duodenum, along with an elevation in jejunal sucrase activity (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The ileal glutathione concentration was increased by the treatment (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Moreover, fermented milk upregulated the protein expression of occludin and claudin-3 while decreasing the gene expression of interleukin 1 beta, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor αlpha in the jejunum (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Collectively, these results indicate that dietary supplementation with fermented milk significantly improved growth performance through the enhancement of intestinal functions in IUGR piglets, highlighting the potential of fermented milk as a nutritional strategy to improve postnatal growth in IUGR piglets.