The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biochemical and morphometric changes in the
small intestine of nursing piglets caused by 60% dietary restriction, and to ascertain whether
this model reproduces the intestinal alterations caused by malnutrition in human infants.
Piglets subjected to dietary restriction had significantly lower levels of mucosal DNA and
protein, and significantly reduced segmental disaccharidase and leucine aminopeptidase
activities compared with age-matched, freely fed controls. However, greater disaccharidase …