Olestra's effect on the status of vitamins A, D and E in the pig can be offset by increasing dietary levels of these vitamins

Groups of weanling pigs (5 castrated males, 5 females per group) were fed purified diets containing the NRC's requirements for nutrients and 0, 1.1, 4.4 or 7.7% olestra for 12 wk. Graded concentrations of vitamins A, D-2 and E were added at each olestra concentration. The primary purpose of the study was to establish relationships between dietary concentration of olestra and the amounts of vitamins A, D-2 and E needed to restore tissue concentrations of these vitamins to control concentrations. A secondary purpose was to confirm that olestra does not affect the status of vitamin K or water-soluble nutrients. Liver concentrations of vitamins A, E and B-12, iron and zinc and bone concentrations of ash, zinc, calcium and phosphorus, were measured in a group of pigs killed at the start of the study and in all pigs killed at wk 12. Growth, feed efficiency, hematology, clinical chemistry, blood concentrations of retinol, alpha-tocopherol, 25-hydroxyergocalciferol, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, folate, iron, total iron-binding capacity, zinc and calcium and adipose concentration of vitamin E were measured at 4-wk intervals. Prothrombin time was measured weekly for the control and 7.7% olestra groups, monthly for others. Relationships derived from measured tissue concentrations of vitamins A and E showed that constant amounts of the vitamins were required per unit mass of olestra in the diet to restore tissue concentrations to control values. Such a relationship could not be determined for vitamin D because exposure of the pigs to UV light resulted in an apparent interaction between vitamin D-2 and vitamin D-3. Olestra did not affect growth, digestible feed efficiency, vitamin K status or the status of the water-soluble micronutrients, in agreement with other studies in the pig.