The effect of feeding pattern and sampling procedure on blood parameters

Abstract

I am not sure what the organisers had in mind when they selected the title for this talk. To me it suggests that two components may contribute to the concentration of a metabolite - one determined by the flow of nutrients, derived either exogenously or endogenously, while a second is derived from what I propose to call ‘transitory phenomena’, that is, produced from some fleeting or transitory response - stress, human/animal interaction or a response to feeding as distinct from food. Presumably it is the first component which we would hope to relate in some way to animal production, and I propose to begin by seeing to what extent we find a close relation between flow and concentration for several blood constituents. I have used the term ‘flux’ to encompass conveniently what has variously been called ‘entry rate’, ‘turnover rate’ and ‘irreversible’ loss. These terms are not synonymous, but for the present discussion the distinctions are not important.