Which dietary measure may help reduce non-Helicobacter pylori-like Helicobacter infections in pigs?

• A. Feed only dry pelleted grain
• B. Increase meat by-products in the diet
• C. Use coarse ground feed
• D. Limit feeding to 4 hours per day

Answer: (D)

Dietary patterns can shape the stomach environment and influence Helicobacter-like bacteria that colonize the pig’s stomach. Limiting feeding to a four-hour window creates longer fasting periods, which tends to produce a gastric environment less favorable for colonization by these bacteria and reduces the opportunity for them to proliferate on the mucosa. In this context, the stomach is less continuously buffered by meals, and the period between meals is less conducive to bacterial growth than constant feeding.

The other options modify how the feed looks or what it contains, but they don’t target the gastric conditions as directly or consistently; they’re less likely to produce the same reduction in Helicobacter-like infections. So restricting feeding time is the dietary measure most aligned with reducing non-H. pylori-like Helicobacter infections in pigs.