Choline Improves Health, Production, and Reproduction of

Transition Dairy Cows Ric R. Grummer

Ruminant Technical Director

Balchem Corp., New Hampton, NY

&

Emeritus Professor

Department of Dairy Science

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Energy Balance for “Typical” Transition Cows

200

400

600

800

1000

11

22

33

44

66

-20 -10 0 10 20 30

Day relative to calving

NEFA

DMI

DM

I, l

b/d

NE

FA

, u

M

Dry Matter Intake and Plasma NEFA

Grummer, 1993

Blood Flow to the Liver

Reynolds et al., 2003

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

g/d

-19 -9 0* 11 21 33 83

Day relative to parturition

Calculated NEFA uptake by liver during the

transition period. (Reynolds et al., 2003)

Liver Triglyceride

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Liver TG % DM basis

-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30

Day relative to calving

Vazquez-Anon et al., 1994

Strain on the Liver

• The liver weighs 20 lb and can accumulate over 1 lb of fat by the day after calving (Drackely, 2001)!

• One point of BCS loss will deliver 10-12 lb of fat to the liver!

Normal liver

Fatty Liver

Plasma BHBA

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

BHBA mg/dl

-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30

Day relative to calving

Vazquez-Anon et al., 1994

Functions of the Liver

• THE BIG THREE FOR NUTRITIONISTS

– Makes glucose

– Processes mobilized body fat

– Detoxifies ammonia (converts to urea)

• Others

– Clears endotoxins

– Degrades hormones

– Facilitates immune response

– etc., etc.

Pathophysiology

• Livers with fat (50-60% of fresh cows)

– Damage to cell structures

– Reduced capacity to

• Make glucose

• Detoxify ammonia

• Synthesize proteins

• Respond to hormones

– Associated with

• Lower milk production

• Poor immune response

• Poor reproductive efficiency

Consequences of Subclinical Ketosis

• 20% prevalence rate (40% incidence rate) of subclinical ketosis (Geishauser, 2001)

– Displaced abomasum ↑3x, (Ospina et al., 2010;

Duffield et al., 2009)

– Clinical ketosis ↑3-6x (Ospina et al., 2010; Duffield et

al., 2009)

– Metritis ↑1.5-3.4x, (Ospina et al., 2010; Duffield et al.,

2009)

– Mastitis ↑2x (Leslie et al., 2000)

– Lower milk ↓1.9-3.0 kg/d @ first test and ↑1.5 x

anovular cows (Duffield et la., 2009)

Strategies to Prevent Fatty

Liver/Ketosis

Ketone

Adipose

Mobilized

Fat

TAG

Fatty

Acid

Glycerol

NEFA NEFA

VLDL

CO2 TAG

Stored TAG

Oxid

AcCoA

Negative EB

Hormonal changes at calving

1.Decrease mobilization of fat from adipose tissue

2.Increase fat (VLDL) transport out of the liver

Liver

Essentiality of Choline

• Referred to as a vitamin, but it is not – Can be synthesized endogenously

– Not an enzyme cofactor

– Supplemented in large quantities

• Proven as essential nutrient for many species

• Classic deficiency symptom: fatty liver

Functions of Choline

• One carbon (methyl) metabolism

– Spare methionine

• Constituent of phospholipid

– Phosphatidylcholine

• Cell membranes

• Lipoproteins (blood lipid transport)

• Acetylcholine (neurotransmitter)

Choline

Dr. R. Erdman (1992)

• Is choline a limiting nutrient for ruminant animals?

• Feed intake: 30 g/d

• Escaping ruminal breakdown: 1g/d

• Ruminal production: 0 g/d

• Supply to intestine: 1 g/d

• Excreted in milk: 5 g/d

• Potential requirement: 30 to 50 g/d

Feeding 60 g/d ReaShure from 3 wk Precalving to 6 wk Post Reduces Liver Triglyceride

0

20

40

60

80

100

-3 1 3 6

Weeks PP

TAG, mg/g

wet tissue Control RPC

*

Zom et al., 2011

Feeding RPC Reduces Ketosis

(All Cows)

P = .01 .05 .07 .35

Santos et al., 2009

Feeding RPC Improves Health (All Cows)

P = .72 .33 .77 .06 .001 .05

* Includes clinical ketosis

Santos et al., 2009

19

ReaShure improves 1st Service Conception rates

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

University of

Missouri 62

Cows*

WI Trial # 1 92

Cows**

WI Trial # 2

560 Cows**

NY Trial

725 Cows**

CA Field Trial

300 Cows**

UC Davis

California 362

Cows***

1st

Serv

ice C

on

cep

tio

n R

ate

Control ReaShure

*Journal of Dairy Science, Vol 87, (Supl.1):334

** Balchem Technical research Reports: 2004:3-5, 2005:2

*** Lima etal 2006 ADSA Abstract

University Transition Cow Studies

Mean = 5.1 lb/d

(6.0 lb/d for ECM, n=11)

* P <.15

Meta analysis of pooled data: P < .0001

Feed Company Field Trial • Objectives:

– Evaluate effects of ReaShure on SCK

– Evaluate SCK as a means to monitor effectiveness of ReaShure

• Requirements of qualifying herds

– Large (~600 or greater)

– Prescreened for >15% BHBA > 1.2 mmol/L

– 100% or less stocking density for dry cows

– 120% or less stocking density for lactating cows

– 21 d prefresh pen, at least 14 d postfresh pen

– “Normal” body condition score

– “Well” managed; good record keeping

– “Good to excellent” production, health, reproduction

Feed Company Field Trial

• Protocol

• Sample cows at 5-14 day postpartum

– Prefeeding

– During feeding

– Postfeeding

• Measure BHBA with Precision XtraTM

– Requires one drop of blood

– Quantitative

– Greater than 90% sensitivity, 90% specificity

– R-squared greater than .90 with wet lab analysis

% BHBA > 1.2 mmol/L

23

Real Results Challenge Program

Real Results Challenge- Ketosis & Subclinical Ketosis

Mean = 42 vs 15

NR NR

NR= not reported

Real Results Challenge- Displaced Abomasum

Mean = 8 vs 2

NR NR NR

NR= not reported

Real Results Challenge- Involuntary Culling Rate

Mean = 17 vs 8

NR NR NR NR

NR= not reported

Real Results Challenge- 2nd Test Day Milk

Mean = 83.3 vs 89.5

NR= not reported

Real Results Challenge- All Herds

Questions???

Commonly Asked Questions: Choline

• Do you have to feed 60 g Reasure/day??

– Cornell research compared 0, 45, 60 and 75 g/d and greatest reduction in liver fat or greatest increase in liver glycogen was observed at either 60 or 75 g/d

31

Commonly Asked Questions: Choline

• When should you feed ReaShure?

– From 21 d prepartum to 21 d postpartum

– Feeding for longer periods of time postpartum may be beneficial, but research to test that idea has not been conducted

32

Commonly Asked Questions: Choline

• Can I just feed Reashure prepartum? Just Postpartum?

33

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Liver Fat

%

-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30

Day relative to calving

Feed postpartum to alleviate

fatty liver and prevent further

accumulation

Feed pretpartum

to prevent fatty

liver

Theoretical effects of feeding ReaShure Pre, Post or Pre and Postpartum

34

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Liver Fat

%

-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30

Day relative to calving

Pre Only

Post Only

Pre and Post

• Should I use ReaShure for all cows or just

those herds having a problem? – All cows!

• Numerous studies suggest a high incidence rate of fatty liver in fresh cows; not just in over conditioned or sick cows.

• Almost all the data collected to date has been from “normal” cows

– Milk, SCK/health, and repro

Commonly Asked Questions: Choline

Commonly Asked Questions: Choline

• ReaShure is too expensive to feed?!?!

– Think of it as inexpensive insurance!!

• Cost of producing milk ($17.50/100 lb average for WI farms ’07/’08; 22,000 milk): $3,850

• Cost of feeding ReaShure: $13

• 13/3850 = .3% of total cost of producing milk!

• ROI = 8 to 10

36

Commonly Asked Questions: Choline

• Is ReaShure a feed additive or an essential nutrient?

– It is an essential nutrient

– Fatty liver is the classic deficiency symptom in non-rumininant animals studied to date

– Certainly, the cow is deficient in choline when NEFA are peaking and feed intake depressed!!

– Other times???

37

Commonly Asked Questions: Choline

Matrix encapsulation

• Compound at surface

• Reduced protection & stability

True encapsulation

• No compound at surface

• High protection & stability

• Are all encapsulated choline products the same?