Low Dietary Energy Research Articles

Assessment of Diet Quality Based on Selected Dietary Quality Indices and Consumption of Specific Food Items of Midwives Working on a Shift Schedule in Wroclaw, Poland.

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of diets among midwives working in a shift system and to analyze variations in their dietary habits according to their working hours. In a group of fifty midwives employed in four public hospitals in Wrocław, the HDI-2015, HEI-2015, AHEI-2010, and Mellen's DASH diet index were calculated. The significance of differences in terms of the prevalence of selected dietary habits, meal frequency, average content of selected food items, and the percentage of energy obtained from them was assessed. Over half of the diets of the participants exhibited low adherence to the selected dietary indices. Only the scores on Mellen's DASH diet index were significantly associated with other components of the diet. Diets scoring ≥ 4.5 points were characterized by significantly lower processed meat content, meal frequency, and energy value, as well as lower sugar content and lower dietary energy value, compared to diets scoring < 4.5 points. Regardless of their working hours, the diets of midwives are characterized by low quality. Therefore, it appears essential to introduce targeted educational programs and provide guidance on appropriate dietary models, such as the DASH diet.

Analysis of the effects of β-mannanase on immune function and intestinal flora in broilers fed the low energy diet based on 16S rRNA sequencing and metagenomic sequencing

As an enzyme, β-mannanase (BM) can be widely used as feed additive to improve the growth performance of animals. This experiment aimed to determine the effect of the addition of BM to low-energy diet on the immune function and intestinal microflora of broiler chickens. In this study, 384 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into 3 groups (8 replicates per group): positive control (PC, received a corn-soybean meal basal diet), negative control (NC, received a low-energy diet with Metabolizable Energy (ME) reduced by 50 kcal/kg) and NC + BM group (NC birds + 100 mg/kg BM). All birds were raised for 42 d. The results showed that BM mitigated the damage of immune function in peripheral blood of broilers caused by the decrease of dietary energy level by increasing the Concanavalin A (Con A) index of stimulation (SI) and macrophages phagocytic activity in the peripheral blood of broilers at 42 d (P < 0.05). The analysis of cecum flora showed that the low-energy diet significantly reduced the observed_species index (P < 0.01), Chao1 index and ACE index (P < 0.05), which reduced the abundance and evenness of species in the cecum of broilers at 21 d. It also significantly reduced the relative abundance of Candidatus_Arthromitus and significantly increased the relative abundance of Pseudomonas in the cecum of broilers at 21 d, while also significantly increasing the relative abundance of Monoglobus at 42 d. BM significantly increased the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_UCG-001 and Lachnospiraceae_bacterium_615 in the cecum of broilers at 21 d. In addition, BM inhibited microbial Fatty acid degradation by decreasing the activity of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase. Collectively, BM could improve intestinal health by enhancing the immune function of broilers, promoting the proliferation of beneficial bacteria and reducing the number of harmful bacteria, regulating intestinal flora, thereby alleviating the adverse effects of lower dietary energy levels.

Apparent metabolizable energy requirement of feed-restricted White Pekin duck breeder pullets

A dose–response experiment with 5 dietary apparent metabolizable energy (AME) levels (10.00, 10.62, 11.24, 11.87, and 12.49 MJ AME/kg) was conducted to estimate the AME requirement of White Pekin duck breeder pullets from 8 to 24 weeks of age. A total of 240 8-week-old female White Pekin duck breeder pullets were assigned to 5 experimental treatments, and each treatment was replicated 6 times with 8 birds per replicate. The ducks were reared in raised wire-floor pens from 8 to 24 weeks of age. All duck pullets were restricted-fed by limiting feed intake, and the feed intake increased gradually as age increased. At 24 weeks of age, the body weight, weight gain and feed/gain of each treatment were measured, and the relative weight of abdominal fat, skin and fat, and ovary of pullets and the contents of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and estradiol in plasma were also determined. As the dietary energy level increased from 10.00 to 12.49MJ AME/kg, the 24-week-old body weight and weight gain increased linearly or quadratically (P < 0.05) and the feed/gain decreased linearly or quadratically (P < 0.05). The absolute or relative weight of abdominal fat and skin and fat of the duck pullets also showed a linear increasing response to increasing dietary energy (P < 0.05). The duck pullets fed with high dietary energy levels had a higher absolute or relative weight of ovary than the birds fed with low dietary energy (P < 0.05) and this was accompanied by linearly or quadratically increasing plasma follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol as dietary energy increased (P < 0.05). According to broken-line regression, the AME requirements for feed/gain and relative weight of skin and fat were 12.40, and 11.92 MJ/kg, respectively, and low AME requirements should be considered to control body weight and fat before laying age.

Letter to editors: misinterpretation of results led to a biased view about Guanidino acetic acid being beneficial in energy deficient diets

View responses to this article:Response to letter to the editors by Behnam Saremi referring to the article ‘Feeding guanidinoacetic acid to broiler chickens can compensate for low dietary metabolizable energy formulation’ by Pirgozliev et al

MO931: Serum Uric Acid—A Marker of Malnutrition and Mortality in Patients Undergoing Maintenance Haemodialysis

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS Malnutrition in patients on maintenance haemodialysis (HD) develops along different pathways, and factors contributing to the development of malnutrition may be categorized as of iatrogenic and non-iatrogenic origins. Iatrogenic factors are an inadvertent consequence of dialysis for HD patients (e.g. removal of uremic solutes), whereas non-iatrogenic factors develop spontaneously from different factors accompanying the progression of kidney disease but are not related to the primary treatment (e.g. low dietary energy and protein intake). Malnutrition is prevalent in 28%–54% HD patients and is an important risk factor for mortality. The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of serum uric acid (SUA) and other non-invasive markers of malnutrition on the survival of maintenance HD patients. METHOD We performed a study on 77 HD patients without malignant disease who were observed from January 2016 until their death or January 2021. Their median age was 63.0 (IQR 19) years, and their dialysis vintage was 1449 (IQR 1848) days. We recorded past medical history, laboratory tests and basic demographic data and performed bioelectrical impedance analysis with BodyStat (BodyStat Ltd). Patients who were at risk for malnutrition, based on nutrition screening tools, received oral nutritional supplements (ONS). SUA was measured every 2 months and the mean value was used for analysis. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and Cox's regression were performed. RESULTS Included patients (51.9% males) had diabetes mellitus (33.8%), arterial hypertension (87.0%), ischemic heart disease (24.7%), chronic obstructive lung disease (3.9%), liver disease (3.9%) and were smokers (14.3%). They received an ONS in 63.6%. During the observation period, 50.6% of them died. We created tertile groups (low, medium and high) based on mean SUA &amp;lt; 294 μmol/L, 294–337 μmol/L and &amp;gt; 337 μmol/L, respectively. The low group had significantly lower body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.044), total iron binding capacity (TIBC) (P = 0.001), phase angle (P = 0.003) and dry lean mass (DLM) (P = 0.048), however there were no significant differences in prescription of ONS (P = 0.092). Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed significantly higher mortality for patients in the low tertile group (P = 0.004). In Cox's regression model, SUA remained significant when adjusted for age, sex, BMI and comorbidities (P = 0.026). However, when adjusting for other markers of malnutrition and receiving ONS, only phase angle, albumin, DLM, fat free mass index and TIBC remained statistically significant. CONCLUSION Low SUA levels in chronic HD patients are associated with lower survival and can help identify individuals who are at risk for malnutrition. Further studies should be done to guide possible interventions.

Energy Values of Corn and Rice Bran and Energy Levels for Ducks – Basis in Establishing Energy Requirement for Improved Philippine Mallard Duck

New breeds of Philippine Mallard Ducks (PMD) were developed to ensure the availability of outstanding stocks for egg production. Maximizing the potentials of these new breeds can be achieved with sound nutrition. Energy is considered the most important and occupy big fraction in the diet of duck as it influences feed intake and proportion of other nutrients in the diet. Optimaldietary energy levels for the new breeds of PMD is yet to be established.. Determining the energy values of common and locally abundant basal feeds such as corn and rice bran for PMDwill serve as a basis in the inclusion of these feeds to duck’s diet. Ducks are considered more efficient in maximizing the energy values of corn (CO) and rice bran (RB) despite of the large proportion of non-starch polysaccharides of RB compared to chickens. Dietary energy levels have not been established for PMD unlike in Pekin ducks (PD) and some indigenous or country ducks. Fast growing PD tend to require a denser energy ranging from 3008 to 3284 kcal/kg compared to 2700 to 2950 kcal/kg for indigenous breeds and khaki Campbell (KC) for optimal performance. It has been found out that the PMD is closely more related to KC than PD. Hence, the possibility of requiring a lower dietary energy than PD. The determination of energy values of CO and RB for PMD and establishment of optimal dietary energy level will facilitate the formulation of PMD specific diet. Thus, this condensed information will serve as concrete viewpoints in understanding bioenergetic dynamics of PMD.

Feeding guanidinoacetic acid to broiler chickens can compensate for low dietary metabolisable energy formulation

ABSTRACT 1. This study compared the responses of broilers to diets supplemented with the same level of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) but formulated to have different N-corrected apparent metabolisable energy (AMEn) contents. The study involved 1280, one-day-old Ross 308 broilers, in 64 pens comprising 32 pens of males and 32 pens females, (20 birds in each) aged from 0 to 42 d. 2. Commercial AME levels of 12.55 MJ/kg, 12.97 MJ/kg and 13.18 MJ/kg in the starter, grower and finisher diets, respectively, were set for the positive control (PC) feed. Four dietary treatments were prepared: PC (as above); negative control 1 (NC; PC – 0.21 MJ ME /kg); NC1 + 0.06% GAA; NC2 (PC – 0.42 MJ ME/kg + 0.06% GAA). Each diet was provided in 16 pens (eight male and eight female), following randomisation. 3. Overall, birds fed NC1 had lower feed intakes (FI) compared to birds fed the PC and NC2+ GAA, lower weight gain (WG) compared to all the other diets and lower final body weight than birds fed the GAA diets (P < 0.05). There was a diet x sex interaction (P = 0.039), whereby feeding NC+GAA to female birds improved feed efficiency compared to being fed NC2 and NC1+ GAA, but not in males. Birds fed diets with GAA had a higher poultry efficiency factor (P < 0.001) than those fed NC1. 4. There were no effects of treatment or sex on litter moisture, footpad score, white striping, wooden breast, AMEn, dry matter and fat retention (P > 0.05). However, the diet NC1+ GAA had 11.2% higher nitrogen retention coefficient compared to the NC1 diet (P = 0.038). 5. Overall, the results implied that lower performance induced by a reduction of dietary AMEn in the range of 0.21 to 0.42 MJ/kg was more than compensated by supplementing 600 g/t GAA to the feed.

The contribution of nutrition and quality of sleep and happiness in under-five-year-old children.

This study aimed to evaluate the relation between happiness perception of children and quality of sleep, appetite, dietary intake and nutritional status. A cross-sectional study evaluating happiness, quality of sleep, appetite, dietary intake and nutritional status in 296 Indonesian children less than five-years of age. There was no significant difference on perceived happiness between urban and rural areas (P = 0.087). The proportion of children that are perceived as happy by mothers (55.1%) is significantly higher (p < 0.001) as perceived as happy by fathers (50.7%). A significant lower dietary energy intake with a higher percentage of dietary protein to total energy intake was observed among those children that are perceived as happy. However, after adjusted to body weight, there was no significant difference in the amount of protein intake between those perceived as happy and unhappy. Amongst the nutritional status indicators, this study found a significantly higher Height-for-Age Z score among the children that perceived as happy. Height-for-age Z score and dietary protein intake in children aged 2-5 years are associated with quality of sleep and appetite, and may therefore affect children's happiness. Not only parental care but also appropriate nutrient intakes influence the child's happiness.

Effect of dietary energy level in finishing phase on performance, carcass and meat quality in immunocastrates and barrows in comparison with gilts and entire male pigs

Immunocastration, a technique consisting of two vaccinations against gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), can be used as alternative to surgical castration of piglets. It reduces boar taint and allows higher economic and ecological efficiency compared to barrows. The feeding strategy of immunocastrates, however, can still be improved. After second vaccination, when immunisation becomes fully effective, feed intake of immunocastrates increases sharply. This study aimed to investigate whether energy intake of immunocastrates after second vaccination could be reduced by lowering the dietary energy level of the finishing phase, without negatively affecting animal performance and quality of pork production. We hypothesised that immunocastrates already reach their limits in voluntary feed intake after second vaccination, and therefore would not be able to compensate the lower dietary energy level, in contrast to barrows. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of high-energy diet (HE, net energy (NE) = 10.2 MJ/kg) compared to low-energy diet (LE, NE = 8.8 MJ/kg) in barrows and immunocastrates and as a reference, gilts and entire male pigs on a standard high-energy diet were included. CP and standardised ileal digestible amino acid levels were similar in both diets. For each treatment, eight pen replicates of six pigs per pen were evaluated on performance, carcass quality, meat and fat quality, digestibility, economic and ecological sustainability, behaviour and effectiveness of immune response. No difference in feed intake of immunocastrates between LE and HE could be demonstrated. As a result, daily energy intake of immunocastrates was higher on HE compared to LE, which resulted in a higher daily gain on HE. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) of immunocastrates on HE did not differ significantly with FCR of entire males. Barrows did not show higher average daily gain on HE compared to LE. Nitrogen efficiency was better in HE compared to LE, without negative effects on digestibility, carcass quality, economic parameters, behaviour or immune response. Small positive effects on the palatability of the meat of immunocastrates on HE were observed, although consumers did not prefer one of both feeds. Immunocastration was successful in reducing sexual and aggressive behaviour as well as in lowering the prevalence of boar taint from 15% in EM to 0% in immunocastrates. However, in two out of 96 immunocastrates (one on HE and one on LE), the immunocastration was not fully effective. In conclusion, this study did not show advantages of feeding immunocastrates or barrows a low-energy diet.

Effects of heat stress and a low energy diet on blood parameters and liver hsp70 and iNOS gene expressions in local chickens

Two experiments were conducted to compare effects of heat stress and its combination with low dietary energy on blood indices, liver hsp70 and iNOS gene expressions in three Tanzanian local chicken ecotypes. In experiment one, five weeks old Kuchi (K), Ching'wekwe (C) and Morogoro medium (M) were randomly allocated to separate pens in a 3 × 2 factorial design in two adjacent rooms with controlled temperature. The study had three replicates consisting of 39 chickens per room, 13 per ecotype per pen making a total of 234 chickens. In one room, temperature was maintained at 26.5 ± 0.5 °C while in another it was maintained at 32±1 °C for 7 days and thereafter 37±1 °C for 10 days. A similar design was used in experiment two except that chickens were fed 55% less energy. In experiment one, serum corticosterone levels increased (p<0.05) in C and K. Gene expressions for hsp70 and iNOS were unchanged though hsp70 levels for K were higher (p<0.05). In experiment two, corticosterone levels were significantly elevated (p<0.05) in all ecotypes. Heterophil/lymphocyte ratios were markedly increased and changes in Hb and Hct at higher temperatures showed ecotype differences. Serum triglycerides were significantly reduced in all ecotypes. Hsp70 and iNOS levels were up-regulated in all ecotypes with levels in K higher (p<0.05) than in M. In both experiments, there were marked reductions in serum total protein. These results suggest that ecotype-based differences exist in local chickens’ responses to heat stress and its combination with low energy diets. M and C demonstrated better tolerance than K when only heat stress was applied but a synergistic effect of heat stress and low dietary energy suggested M is more tolerant.

Hepatic Injury Induced by Dietary Energy Level via Lipid Accumulation and Changed Metabolites in Growing Semi-Fine Wool Sheep.

Liver injury threatens the overall health of an organism, as it is the core organ of the animal body. Liver metabolism is affected by numerous factors, with dietary energy level being a crucial one. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate hepatic injury and to describe its metabolic mechanism in ruminants fed diets with different dietary energy levels. A total of 25 Yunnan semi-fine wool sheep were fed diets with five dietary metabolic energy levels and were randomly assigned to five groups as follows: low energy (LE), medium–low energy (MLE), medium energy (ME), medium–high energy (MHE), and high energy (HE). The results revealed that the average optical density (AOD) of lipid droplets in the LE, MLE, and HE groups was higher than that in the ME and MHE groups. The enzyme activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was the lowest in the ME group. An increase in dietary energy level promoted the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and altered the malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO) concentration quadratically. In addition, both high and low dietary energy levels upregulated the mRNA abundance of proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Metabonomic analysis revealed that 142, 77, 65, and 108 differential metabolites were detected in the LE, MLE, MHE, and HE groups, compared with ME group respectively. These metabolites were involved in various biochemical pathways, such as glycolipid, bile acid, and lipid metabolism. In conclusion, both high and low dietary energy levels caused hepatic injury. Section staining and metabonomic results revealed that hepatic injury might be caused by altered metabolism and lipid accumulation induced by lipid mobilization.

The Effects of Oral Energy-Dense Supplements on Nutritional Status in Nondiabetic Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Fat-based energy-dense nutritional supplements may offer benefits over protein- or carbohydrate-dense supplements for patients receiving dialysis because of the adverse metabolic consequences of the latter. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of the short-term use of a fat-based nutritional supplement on various measures of nutritional status in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis who have low dietary energy intake. We enrolled nondiabetic patients receiving hemodialysis for >3 months who had inadequate dietary energy intake (<30 kcal/kg per day). The participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive an oral fat-based energy-dense supplement (300 kcal daily) or routine care for 12 weeks (n=120 per group). The primary outcome was the change in phase angle measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis, a marker of cell integrity and body cell mass, from the baseline to week 12. The secondary outcomes were changes in quality of life. Other outcomes included laboratory nutritional indicators and physical examinations. The average age of the total population was 47 (SD: 12) years, and 55% were men. The median of dialysis vintage was 43.4 (22.5-76.3) months; 240 participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (n=120) or control group (n=120). In total, 228 (95%) participants completed the trial. The change in phase angle did not differ significantly between the intervention and control groups (estimate, 0.0; 95% confidence interval, -0.1 to 0.1 versus estimate, 0.0; 95% confidence interval, -0.1 to 0.1; estimated difference, 0.0; 95% confidence interval -0.2 to 0.2; P=0.99). None of the 19 domains of quality of life differed between the groups. Adverse events were reported in 23 (19%) participants in the control group and 40 (33%) participants in the intervention group. In nondiabetic patients on maintenance hemodialysis, short-term administration of fat-based energy-dense nutritional supplement has no clinically significant effect on nutritional status as measured by phase angle. This article contains a podcast at https://https://www.asn-online.org/media/podcast/CJASN/2021_08_03_CJN16821020.mp3.

Effect of adding soy lecithin, xylanase and their combination to low energy diet on carcass traits, meat quality, and some blood parameters of broiler chicks.

This study investigated the synergism relationship between lecithin (L) and xylanase (Xyl.) enzyme when applied to low dietary metabolizable energy (ME) on broilers carcass, meat quality and some blood parameters. 160 chicks randomly were allocated to 5 treatments, each of 32 birds (4 replicates of 8 birds each). The 1st group; chicks were fed basal diet without studied supplementation (control). In 2nd group, chicks were fed low ME diet (-150Kcal / kg lower than NRC,1994 recommendation) and labeled as NC. In 3rd, 4th and 5th groups, chicks were fed NC supplied with 0.5g lecithin (NC + 0.5g L), 0.2g xylanase (NC + 0.2g Xyl) and 0.5g lecithin + 0.2g xylanase (NC +0.5g L + 0.2g Xyl), respectively. The growth trail lasted 35 days. The obtained results show that group of NC + 0.2g Xyl recorded significant increase in carcass %. The lowest meat total saturated fatty acids, total cholesterol, LDL and triglyceride were achieved for group of NC + 0.5g lecithin. Moreover, both NC + 0.5g L and NC +0.5g L + 0.2g Xyl recorded a significant decrease in plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL also, increase in plasma HDL compared to control. In conclusion, addition of 0.5g lecithin alone or in a combination with 0.2g xylanase to broilers fed low-energy diet is more effective in carcass, meat quality and blood plasma lipid profile.

Feeding low dietary energy for growth of broiler chickens during finisher period provides least feed conversion ration

Energy is an important component of diets without which animals will not grow. Thus, a study was conducted to investigate the effect of low dietary energy on growth performance of broiler chicken at finisher stage. Two hundred and twenty five Zartech strain day old chicks were raised intensively for four weeks in a completely randomized design. The birds were grouped into three treatments of 75 birds and sub-divided into three replications of 25 birds. Three experimental diets of three energy levels (2,400; 2,600 and 2,800 ME Kcal/Kg designated A, B and C, respectively) with 20% crude protein were formulated and fed to the broiler chickens to assess feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ration and feed cost gain ration. The data were subjected to one way analysis of variance and means were separated using least significant difference. Results showed that feed intake decreased as the energy value of the feed increased. There was significant (p&lt;0.05) difference in total feed intake between the treatments. No significant (p&gt;0.05) difference was recorded in terms of initial live weight, final live weight, feed conversion ratio, feed conversion efficiency, feed cost and cost/gain. Feed cost showed progressive increase as the energy level of the diet increased. Lowest cost/gain ratio was reported from diet C. It was concluded that feed intake decreased as the energy value of the feed increased. It is therefore, recommended that broiler chickens should be fed with diet containing 2 800 ME Kcal/Kg as it provides the least feed conversion ratio.

Long-term prognostic value of dietary intakes in hospitalized elderly

Rationale: Low dietary protein (DPI) and energy (DEI) intakes during hospital stay contribute to worsening nutritional status and are associated with increased short-term mortality in hospitalized elderly. We assessed the prognostic value of DPI and DEI during hospitalization in acute geriatric units (AGU), on the long-term risk of death (one year and more).

Dietary Potassium Intake and Mortality in a Prospective Hemodialysis Cohort

Among hemodialysis patients, clinical practice guidelines recommend dietary potassium restriction given concerns about potential hyperkalemia leading to malignant arrhythmias and mortality. However, there are sparse data informing recommendations for dietary potassium intake in this population. We thus sought to examine the relationship between dietary potassium intake and death risk in a prospective cohort of hemodialysis patients. Among 415 hemodialysis patients from the prospective "Malnutrition, Diet, and Racial Disparities in Chronic Kidney Disease" cohort recruited across 16 outpatient dialysis clinics, information regarding dietary potassium intake was obtained using Food Frequency Questionnaires administered over October 2011 to March 2015. We first examined associations of baseline dietary potassium intake categorized as tertiles with mortality risk using Cox regression. We then examined clinical characteristics associated with low dietary potassium intake (defined as the lowest tertile) using logistic regression. In expanded case-mix Cox analyses, patients whose dietary potassium intake was in the lowest tertile had higher mortality (ref: highest tertile) (adjusted hazard ratio 1.74, 95% confidence interval 1.14-2.66). These associations had even greater magnitude of risk following adjustment for laboratory and nutritional covariates (adjusted hazard ratio 2.65, 95% confidence interval 1.40-5.04). In expanded case-mix restricted cubic spline analyses, there was a monotonic increase in mortality risk with incrementally lower dietary potassium intake. In expanded case-mix logistic regression models, female sex; higher serum bicarbonate; and lower dietary energy, protein, and fiber intake were associated with low dietary potassium intake. In a prospective cohort of hemodialysis patients, lower dietary potassium intake was associated with higher mortality risk. These findings suggest that excessive dietary potassium restriction may be deleterious in hemodialysis patients, and further studies are needed to determine the optimal dietary potassium intake in this population.

Consequences of Transition Treatments on Fertility and Associated Metabolic Status for Dairy Cows in Early Lactation.

Simple SummaryShortening or omitting the dry period improves energy balance and metabolic status, but reduces milk production and increases the risk of body fattening of cows in the subsequent lactation. Reducing the postpartum dietary energy level in order to match the lower milk yield after 0-d dry period could prevent body fattening. Earlier, reducing postpartum dietary energy level for cows after 0-d dry period reduced days open in the subsequent lactation, which may indicate improved underlying fertility. This study investigated effects of reducing dietary energy level from week 4 postpartum onwards for cows after 0-d dry period on fertility variables and associated metabolic status. Reducing the postpartum dietary energy level in cows with 0-d dry period reduced the interval from calving to onset of luteal activity in cows of parity ≥ 3, compared with a standard dietary energy level or a 30-d dry period. Fewer days open was related to fewer services per conception, fewer days to onset of luteal activity, higher percentage of ovarian cycles of normal length (18–24 d), and improved energy balance in weeks 1–7 of lactation. In conclusion, reducing a postpartum dietary energy level to match lower milk yield after 0-d dry period improved fertility in cows of parity ≥ 3, but not in cows of parity 2.This study aimed to (1) investigate effects of reducing postpartum dietary energy level for cows after a 0-d dry period (DP) on resumption of ovarian cyclicity and reproductive performance, (2) relate days open with other reproductive measures, and (3) relate onset of luteal activity (OLA) and days open with metabolic status in early lactation. Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 transition treatments: no DP and low postpartum dietary energy level from 22 days in milk( DIM )onwards (0-d DP (LOW)) (n = 42), no DP and standard postpartum dietary energy level (0-d DP (STD)) (n = 43), and a short DP and standard postpartum dietary energy level (30-d DP (STD)) (n = 43). Milk progesterone concentration was determined three times per week until 100 DIM. Plasma metabolite and hormone concentrations were measured weekly until week 7 postpartum. Reducing postpartum dietary energy level in older cows (parity ≥ 3) after no DP and 22 DIM did not affect milk production but prevented a positive energy balance and shortened the interval from calving to OLA. In addition, services per pregnancy and days open were reduced in cows of parity ≥ 3 on 0-d DP (LOW), compared with cows of parity ≥ 3 with 0-d DP (STD), but not in cows of parity 2.

Dietary energy sources and levels shift the multi-kingdom microbiota and functions in the rumen of lactating dairy cows

BackgroundDietary energy source and level in lactation diets can profoundly affect milk yield and composition. Such dietary effects on lactation performance are underpinned by alteration of the rumen microbiota, of which bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protozoa may vary differently. However, few studies have examined all the four groups of rumen microbes. This study investigated the effect of both the level and source of dietary energy on rumen bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protozoa in the rumen of lactating dairy cows. A 2 × 2 factorial design resulted in four dietary treatments: low and high dietary energy levels (LE: 1.52–1.53; and HE: 1.71–1.72 Mcal/kg dry matter) and two dietary energy sources (GC: finely ground corn; and SFC: steam-flaked corn). We used a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design using eight primiparous Chinese Holstein cows with each period lasting for 21 d. The rumen microbiota was analyzed using metataxonomics based on kingdom-specific phylogenetic markers [16S rRNA gene for bacteria and archaea, 18S rRNA gene for protozoa, and internally transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) for fungi] followed with subsequent functional prediction using PICRUSt2.ResultsThe GC resulted in a higher prokaryotic (bacterial and archaeal) species richness and Faith’s phylogenetic diversity than SFC. For the eukaryotic (fungi and protozoa) microbiota, the LE diets led to significantly higher values of the above measurements than the HE diets. Among the major classified taxa, 23 genera across all the kingdoms differed in relative abundance between the two dietary energy levels, while only six genera (none being protozoal) were differentially abundant between the two energy sources. Based on prokaryotic amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) from all the samples, overall functional profiles predicted using PICRUSt2 differed significantly between LE and HE but not between the two energy sources. FishTaco analysis identified Ruminococcus and Coprococcus as the taxa potentially contributing to the enriched KEGG pathways for biosynthesis of amino acids and to the metabolisms of pyruvate, glycerophospholipid, and nicotinate and nicotinamide in the rumen of HE-fed cows. The co-occurrence networks were also affected by the dietary treatments, especially the LE and GC diets, resulting in distinct co-occurrence networks. Several microbial genera appeared to be strongly correlated with one or more lactation traits.ConclusionsDietary energy level affected the overall rumen multi-kingdom microbiota while little difference was noted between ground corn and steam-flaked corn. Some genera were also affected differently by the four dietary treatments, including genera that had been shown to be correlated with lactation performance or feed efficiency. The co-occurrence patterns among the genera exclusively found for each dietary treatment may suggest possible metabolic interactions specifically affected by the dietary treatment. Some of the major taxa were positively correlated to milk properties and may potentially serve as biomarkers of one or more lactation traits.

EFFECT OFINTERACTION BETWEEN FEED RESTRICTION AND DIETARY ENERGY LEVELS ON PRODUCTIVE, PHYSIOLOGICAL, IMMUNOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF TWO STRAINS OF LAYING HENS.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of interaction between feed restriction and dietary energy levels on productive, physiological and immunological performance as well as economic efficiency of Matrouh and Silver Montazah chickens (females and males).A total number of 240 females and 24 males 24 weeks old from each of Matrouh (MAT) and Silver Montazah (SM) layer strains (120 females and 12 males from each strain) were used, Birds of each strain were randomly divided into 4 equal groups with 3 replicates each of 10 females and one male. The first and second groups fed diet contained 2800 and 2600 kcal ME /kg diet, respectively at a rate of 120g/ hen/day. The third and fourth groups fed diet contained 2800 and 2600 kcal ME /kg diet, respectively at a rate of 100g/ hen/day. Theobtained results showed that Silver Montazah hens recorded higher values for egg production%, egg weight,egg mass and feed efficiency, hatchability % and post hatch chick weight as well as T3, LH and FSH hormones as compared with Matrouh (MAT) hens.Reducing the amount of feed provided to hens (100 g/hen/ day) significantly improved feed efficiency and increased blood levels of T3 and LH hormones, fertility and hatchability percentages, chick weight at hatch and weight of abdominal fat were significantly decreased. the best results of egg production%, egg weight and egg mass, as well as chick weight at hatch, fertility and hatchability percentages were recorded for SM hens which received diet containing 2800 kcal ME at a rate of 120g/hen/day, the lowest results were recorded for MAT hens which fed diet contained 2600 kcal ME at a rate of 100g /hen/day. However, the best feed efficiency was recorded for hens of both strains which received diet contained 2800 kcal at rate of 100 g/hen/day. T3 and LH hormones, chick weight at hatch as well as fertility and hatchability percentages were increased for SM hens either those received low or high dietary energy content at a rate of 120 or 100g/hen/day comparing with MAT hens which received the same experimental diets. Semen quality traits were found to be improved for SM cocks under the two levels of energy and feeding.The highest economic efficiency values were exhibited by SM hens fed high or low dietary energy levels at a rate of 100 g / hen / day. It could be concluded that the best feed efficiency and economic efficiency were recorded for hens of both strains which received diet contained 2800 kcal at rate of 100 g / hen/ day.

Differences in Consumption of NASEM Priority Nutrients and Food Groups by Race/Ethnicity Among Women Living in WIC-Participating Households.

To examine racial/ethnic differences in dietary intake of women in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Cross-sectional study. Data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Women 19 to 50 years of age living in WIC-participating households. Nutrient/food group intake from one 24-hour dietary recall. Multivariable linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between race/ethnicity and nutrient/food group intake. Compared to non-Hispanic white women, Hispanic women had lower dietary energy density (1.7 ± 0.1 vs 2.2 ± 0.1 kcal/g, P < .001), and better nutrient intake, including more folate (429 ± 20 vs 364 ± 29 µg, P = .024), fiber (20.1 ± 0.9 vs 13.6 ± 0.9 g, P ≤ .001), and potassium (2575 ± 78 vs 2251 ± 66 mg, P = .012). This may be related to greater consumption of total vegetables (1.67 ± 0.16 vs 1.17 ± 0.17 cup equivalents [c-eq], P = .029), including more red and orange vegetables (0.64 ± 0.11 vs 0.32 vs 0.09 c-eq, P = .013) and more legumes (0.17 ± 0.04 vs 0.07 ± 0.02 c-eq, P = .006). Both Hispanic and non-Hispanic black women consumed more sodium (Hispanic: P = .015; non-Hispanic black: P = .008), but less added sugars (Hispanic: P ≤ .001; non-Hispanic black: P = .015), than non-Hispanic white women. These findings highlight differences in dietary intake by race/ethnicity and can inform nutrition messages of WIC nutrition educators and dietitians.