This preclinical mouse study tested whether feeding β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) to pregnant dams would improve birth weight uniformity and offspring growth.
Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI · 5 authors, 4 centres
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This preclinical mouse study tested whether feeding β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) to pregnant dams would improve birth weight uniformity and offspring growth.
This preclinical study used a mouse model to evaluate if gestational HMB supplementation could reduce intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and improve birth weight uniformity, as a proxy for swine. Placentae and pup weights were collected from a subset of dams on gestational day 18, while others were allowed to birth and lactate for 28 days. The central result was that maternal HMB supplementation had no effect on dam performance, litter size, pup birth weight, or placental weight. Post-weaning growth performance and body composition of offspring at 5 and 8 weeks were also similar across all groups. The findings suggest HMB is not effective in this specific mouse model for reducing low-birth-weight progeny or improving uniformity.