Due to the remarkable success of the Research Topic 'Advances in Nutritional Strategies for Optimizing Swine Growth Performance and Gut Health' and the rapidly evolving subject area, we are pleased to launch Volume II for this topic.

Nutritional strategies influence nutrient digestion, absorption, immune responses, and oxidative stress management in pigs. The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining these functions and improving the intestinal environment. Gut dysbiosis can lead to poor growth performance, inefficient feed utilization, and increased morbidity in pigs. Recent advances in nutritional strategies with functional ingredients and feed additives, including functional amino acids, trace minerals, vitamins, probiotics, postbiotics, organic acids, bioactive compounds, have been shown to improve gut health, nutrient utilization, immunity, and antioxidant capacity in pigs and sows. By supporting a balanced gut microbiome and improving intestinal integrity, these strategies not only improve pig performance, but also help sows produce healthier offspring, improve milk production, and extend longevity, while reducing reliance on antibiotics and ZnO. In parallel, nutritional strategies that improve nutrient efficiency can reduce excess nutrient excretion such as nitrogen and phosphorus, thereby supporting more sustainable swine production.

The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a comprehensive overview of how nutritional strategies can modulate growth performance and gut health, as well as overall pig health, including immunity and antioxidant capacity, to enhance the sustainability of swine production systems. By exploring innovative nutritional interventions and their impact on the gut microbiota, intestinal integrity, and overall growth and health, this issue aims to offer researchers, nutritionists, and producers sustainable and practical solutions for achieving optimal swine performance while improving the sustainability of production systems through a holistic approach to gut health and disease resistance as key factors in improving animal productivity, health, and well-being. This Research Topic also aims to highlight how nutritional interventions can contribute to sustainable swine production by improving nutrient use efficiency, reducing environmental emissions, and minimizing reliance on non-therapeutic antibiotics and mineral over supplementation.

This collection will cover a wide range of topics related to innovative nutritional strategies for improving gut health, immunity, antioxidant status, productive performance in pigs and sows, as well as enhancing the sustainability of swine production, including:

• Nutritional strategies such as feed additives, functional nutrients, feed ingredients, feed processing for optimizing growth performance and gut health

• Mechanisms for improving gut health and its association with performance and overall health,

• Dietary strategies for improving gut health, disease resistance, and antioxidant status

• Nutritional approaches to enhance sustainability through improved nutrient efficiency and reduced environmental impact.

Contributors are invited to submit either original research articles, reviews, and short communications that evaluate and summarize the relationship between nutritional interventions, gut health, and performance in pigs and sows. Manuscripts should present novel findings, mechanisms, and/or practical applications that can enhance our current knowledge of how nutrition can optimize both gut health and productivity. Submission should follow the journal’s guidelines and will undergo a peer-review process to ensure the highest scientific standards.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Advances in Nutritional Strategies for Optimizing Swine Productive Performance, Gut Health, and Sustainability - Volume II