The weeks around calving are the toughest part of a cow’s life. Feed intake usually drops just as milk production starts, forcing cows to burn body fat. This breakdown releases free fatty acids (FFA), also known as NEFA in scientific literature, into the bloodstream. When too much reaches the liver, it can build up as “fatty liver”, lowering appetite, health, and productivity. Supporting the liver during this time directly improves performance. Helping the liver means making it easier for the cow to manage the extra fat that floods in after calving. When the liver can move this fat out instead of storing it, the cow eats better, stays healthier, and produces more milk.
Choline is a small, water-soluble molecule with a structure that helps the cow in three key ways: it acts as a building block for cell membranes, as a carrier to move fat out of the liver, and a supporter of key metabolic pathways.
In short, its functions are:
- Moving fat safely by forming phosphatidylcholine, which the liver uses to package fat into very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL). These particles carry fat out of the liver and into the bloodstream, where it can be used for energy or milk production instead of building up in the liver.
- Building healthy cells because choline is a key part of cell membranes in the liver, mammary gland, and immune system, helping these tissues function properly during the stressful transition period.
- Supporting metabolism by serving as a methyl donor through its conversion to betaine, which helps the cow use nutrients efficiently for energy and protein synthesis.
Because normal choline is destroyed in the rumen, it must be supplied as rumen-protected choline (choline). Research shows that feeding choline from three weeks before calving through early lactation helps cows in several ways.
Continue reading this article published in Feed & Additive magazine.
