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Bile acids in feed to relieve fatty liver and ketosis in dairy cows
Fatty liver and ketosis are nutritional metabolic diseases that high-yielding cows are are prone to get. The addition of bile acids to feed can prevent and treat fatty liver, reduce the incidence of ketosis and increase milk production.
BY DR LI JINBAO, SHANDONG LONGCHANG F
The mechanism of fatty liver and ketosis.
atty liver and ketosis during the perinatal period are mainly caused by the accumulation of a large amount of ketone bodies caused by a disorder of the fat me- tabolism in the liver. There is a high incidence of
these conditions. which can casue great harm; restoring liver health is the only way to achieve a complete cure.
Characteristics dairy cow perinatal period The perinatal period is the time from 21 days before calving to 21 days after delivery. During this period, a series of chang- es occur in dairy cows’ nutritional needs, physiological condi- tion, and body metabolism, resulting in a high incidence of nutritional metabolic diseases. Surveys show that about 60% of cows have fatty liver, 5-10% of which are severe fatty liver, and 30-40% are moderate fatty liver, both accompanied a high incidence of ketosis. Fatty liver and ketosis seriously affect the health and lactation of perinatal cows as well as calf growth.
The mechanism of fatty liver and ketosis In late pregnancy, due to the rapid development of the foetus and the need for mammary gland development, lactation and childbirth, cows need sufficient feed to meet their energy and sugar requirements. However, because of the insufficient intake caused by cow food degeneration and reduced rumen volume, a negative energy balance can occur with insufficient sugar precursors. In that case, cows can only use body fat, so a large amount of non-esterified fatty acids enters the liver. There are three things that can happen with non-esterified fatty acids: 1.Oxi- dation for energy supply; 2. Re-polymerisation into fat; 3. Ke- tosis. For dairy cows, the lipoprotein lipase and liver esterase activities that break down fat are particularly low, and there- fore cannot effectively decompose the fat deposits in the liv- er. At the same time, the amount of very low density lipopro- tein (VLDL) secreted by the cow is extremely low, and the fats cannot be transported out of the liver in a timely fashion, causing fat deposits in the liver (fatty liver). In addition, fatty liver affects the normal functions of the liver, and results in ketones not being transported out in time, which leads to ketosis. This is why fatty liver and ketosis usu- ally occur together.
Bile acids strengthen liver health and increase milk production Bile acids are a substance with various biological activities, which can be used to ensure the health of the cow liver. First, they relieve the burden on the liver, so that non-esterified fat- ty acids and sugar precursors can be converted into energy in a timely manner, which solves the problem of a negative en- ergy balance. When the liver is healthy, dairy cows can eat more, better absorb the nutrients in the feed and the digesti- bility of the feed can be increased.
12 ▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 28, No. 4, 2020
PHOTO: KOOS GROENEWOLD
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