Although the use of automatic feeders is becoming more common, there are still a lot of dairy calves on a schedule of two feedings per day. One of the most common concerns when feeding milk according to a LifeStart schedule with elevated planes of nutrition is the development of insulin resistance. This is characterised by postprandial hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and glucosuria. Insulin resistance may predispose calves to metabolic diseases later in life.

Feeding calves large meals with high levels of glucose has shown to delay gastric emptying, resulting in a slower release of glucose from the intestines into the body. This may reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance.

LifeStart research in dairy calves has shown that elevated planes of nutrition at a young age delay gastric emptying and do not increase the risk of developing insulin resistance.