ABSTRACT
It has been suggested earlier that the serum Mg value cannot be considered as a reliable index indicating the body Mg status and that pigs may suffer from Mg deficiency despite the fact that the food Mg content is distinctly higher than the requirement level given by the Agricultural Research Council and National Research Council. In this study the effect of the food Mg level on the serum Mg value was more widely investigated and, simultaneously, the effect of the food Mg level on the serum Mg:Ca and K value was studied. Bone Mg contents were also determined to make sure in which groups the pigs had suffered from Mg deficiency.
Subject(s)
Animal Feed/analysis , Magnesium/blood , Swine/blood , Animals , Bone and Bones/analysis , Calcium/blood , Magnesium Deficiency/blood , Magnesium Deficiency/veterinary , Potassium/blood , Swine Diseases/bloodABSTRACT
1. Pigs were fed on semi-purified food. The magnesium content of the experimental diet was 1.0 and that of the control diet 1.9 g/kg. 2. In the low-Mg group serum triglycerides and blood lactate values were increased and base excess and standard bicarbonate values were decreased, indicating metabolic acidosis. 3. A significant positive dependence was found between blood pH and serum Mg:Ca value as well as between blood pH and serum Mg, and also between body temperature and blood lactate values in the low-Mg group. None of these dependences was significant in the control group with magesium acetate supplementation in the food. 4. No specific histopathological changes were found in heart, liver or kidney of the experimental animals. 5. The results indicate that an increase in serum triglycerides does not need to depend on the amount of quality of food fat. 6. The present study shows that, in pigs, a low-Mg diet may cause metabolic disturbances in instances with the food Mg content is distinctly higher than the normal values recommended by the (UK) Agricultural Research Council (1966) and (US) National Research Council (1968).
