ISSUE FOCUS 38 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE May 2024 Recent scientific findings advocate supplementing dairy cows with rumen-protected choline to optimize fetal programming on a genetic level, resulting in enduring health and productivity advantages for their offspring. The foundation for calf well-being and performance is laid long before birth. One critical element in this process is the essential nutrient choline and the methyl-group donors it delivers during pregnancy and lactation. As late pregnancy approaches, choline takes on a pivotal role. Inadequate choline delivered to the dam can negatively impact gene expression in the calf, a phenomenon known as epigenetics. The consequences of choline deficiency during gestation are profound, influencing placental development, fetal growth, cognitive function, and the calf's immune system. However, recent research suggests that rumen-protected choline can offer a vital solution. Supplying the necessary methyl donors to the dam during the final trimester of pregnancy optimizes fetal programming, yielding substantial health and productivity gains for the calf throughout its lifetime. Understanding the intricate connection between nutrition, epigenetics, and calf well-being equips dairy producers to make informed decisions for their herds' future. CHOLINE AND EPIGENETICS IN DAMS The nutritional and care regimen for cows can exert a lasting influence on the development of their calves, a phenomenon often linked to epigenetic changes occurring while the calf is in utero. Epigenetics refers to modifications in an offspring's phenotype caused by genetic alterations like methylation, rather than changes in the DNA base pairs themselves. These changes influence how an individual functions and behaves without altering its genetic code. While extensive research on the impact of epigenetics has been conducted in human medicine and with laboratory animals, cattle have received comparatively less attention in this area. Dr. José Santos from the University of Florida likens the effects of epigenetics on offspring to the adverse outcomes of smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy in humans. Both nutritional factors and external stressors, such as heat stress, during gestation can influence the offspring, resulting in smaller, less productive calves, and sometimes, these effects persist throughout their lives. Some of these changes may be attributed to epigenetic modifications in the calf. Dr. Santos mentions an interesting finding, "We've shown that male calves born to dams supplementENHANCING CALF HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE THROUGH EPIGENETICS AND METHYLATION Clay Zimmerman, Ph.D., PAS Director of Technical Services Balchem ANH
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUxNjkxNQ==