Feeding 1,000 to 4,000 IU/day supplemental vitamin E to dairy cows helps optimize udder health, but by what mechanism?
Vitamin E is the primary biological antioxidant in body cells and tissues including white blood cells. In dairy cows white blood cell function is depressed around the time of calving. Feeding optimal levels of vitamin E during the dry period, the transition period and lactation has resulted in a significant reduction in clinical mastitis infections and a significant increase in white blood cell functions, such as their ability to engulf and kill mastitis-causing bacteria.
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