Dr. Sarah Pearce: Stress as a Nutrient Thief | Ep. 231

Dr. Sarah Pearce: Stress as a Nutrient Thief | Ep. 231

Author: Wisenetix July 9, 2026 Duration: 8:24
In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sarah Pearce, Research Animal Physiologist with USDA ARS, explains why stress can act as a nutrient thief in pigs. She discusses gastrointestinal health, barrier integrity, inflammation, feed efficiency, stress interactions, and emerging biomarkers that may help predict performance challenges before they occur. Listen now on all major platforms! Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/af/article/16/3/5/8490630 "Stress can steal calories and nutrients because energy normally used for growth is redirected toward immune activation, gut repair, and other costly survival responses." Meet the guest: Dr. Sarah Pearce https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-pearce-phd-3a5881a5/ earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Iowa State University and currently serves as a Research Animal Physiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Her research focuses on gastrointestinal physiology, nutrition, stress biology, immune function, and productivity in pigs and poultry. Learn more from Dr. Sarah Pearce on the Swine Nutrition Black Belt Podcast, available on all major platforms. Liked this one? Don’t stop now — Here’s what we think you’ll love! https://www.wisenetix.com/blog?tag=the+swine+nutrition+blackbelt+podcast What you will learn: (00:00) Highlight (01:05) Introduction (01:50) Stress redirects nutrients (03:17) Multiple stressors (05:07) Gut barrier (06:11) Biomarker prediction (07:21) Research tools (08:05) Closing thoughts The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like: * Fortiva (https://fortivaimpact.com) * Kemin (https://www.kemin.com/na/en-us/markets/animal/swine) - DietForge (https://dietforge.ai/) - Essential Ag Solutions (https://essentialag.com/) - Barentz (https://www.barentz-na.com/animalnutrition) - The Owner's Box (https://ownersbox.io/) - Elevate (https://elevateagents.ai/) - WiseVAs (https://www.wisevas.io/) - ZentrixOS (https://zentrixos.com/) - Zentrix Insights (https://zentrixinsights.com/) 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺. Website: https://swinenutritionblackbelt.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/swinecampus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swinecampus/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwineCampus/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@swinecampus_

For swine nutritionists, the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming, and finding truly actionable insights is a constant challenge. The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, presented by Wisenetix, cuts through the noise by delivering concentrated wisdom from leading global experts. Each episode is designed to fit into a busy schedule, offering a focused, nine-minute dive into a specific topic that's actually working in the field today. You'll hear directly from researchers and practitioners at the forefront of the industry, discussing practical applications, emerging research, and nutritional strategies without the fluff. This isn't about theoretical deep dives; it's about what you can apply right now. The conversations are candid and geared toward professionals who need to stay current but are pressed for time. Tuning into this science-focused podcast means gaining a regular dose of peer-level insight, transforming a short commute or break into a genuine professional development session. It’s built for those who believe expertise should be accessible and efficient, providing a consistent stream of knowledge to help refine your approach and decision-making in swine nutrition.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Eugene Rodberg: Feed Quality Challenges Today | Ep. 229 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:44
In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Eugene Rodberg from Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health discusses how feed ingredients, fat quality, feed hygiene, and water management influence swine performance.…
Dr. John O'Doherty: Feed Quality and Gut Health - Part 2 | Ep. 228 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:19
In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. John O'Doherty from University College Dublin continues to explain how preserved grain strategies can improve gut health, nutrient digestibility, microbial st…
Dr. Marco de Mik: Enhancing Piglet Gut Health | Ep. 226 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:26
In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, we revisit a conversation with Dr. Marco de Mik, Senior Consultant at Schothorst Feed Research, who explores how to enhance gastrointestinal health in piglets for…
Grady Privett: Sorghum Inclusion in Sow Lactation Diets | Ep. 224 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:16
In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Grady Privett, a graduate student at Kansas State University, discusses research evaluating sorghum as a replacement for corn in lactation diets for sows. He disc…
Dr. Julian Arroyave: Nursery Feed Budgets | Ep. 223 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:38
In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Julian Arroyave, a research swine nutritionist at Carthage Innovative Swine Solutions, discusses nursery feed budget strategies designed to reduce costs witho…
Sydney Craig: Amino Acid Balance in Pig Nutrition | Ep. 222 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:39
In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Sydney Craig, graduate research assistant at Iowa State University, explains how arginine supplementation in lactating sows may affect piglet livability. She also…
Gustavo Lima: Net Energy Validation in Swine Diets | Ep. 221 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:06
In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, PhD candidate at Iowa State University, explains how soybean meal net energy is evaluated using growth assays and calorimetry. He discusses caloric…
Dr. Anja Strathe: Transition Feeding Strategies for Sows | Ep. 220 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:44
In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Anja Strathe, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, explores nutritional strategies for sows during the transition from gestation to lactation.…