Exploring the impact of high-energy diets on cattle: Insights into subacute rumen acidosis, insulin resistance, and hoof health.
Authors: Palhano, Martins, Lemos, Faleiros, da Fonseca, Gorza, Lopes, Meneses, de Carvalho, Filho, Moreira
Journal: Journal of dairy science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: High-Energy Diets and Hoof Health in Cattle Claw horn lesions represent a leading cause of lameness in dairy cattle, yet the mechanisms linking high-starch feeding, rumen acidosis, and poor hoof quality remain poorly characterised. Researchers assigned 16 Holstein steers to either a high-starch diet (37% starch) or conventional diet (16.8% starch) over 102 days, measuring rumen pH, glucose tolerance responses, circulating metabolites, and histological changes in hoof tissue. The high-starch group developed subacute rumen acidosis (SARA) with depressed ruminal pH, whilst both groups showed significant increases in insulin response to glucose challenges and reduced epidermal lamellar height and width by day 102—a finding that correlated negatively with insulin area under the curve. Critically, the histological hoof changes occurred independently of SARA development, suggesting that metabolic dysfunction (specifically insulin dysregulation) rather than acidosis alone may drive lesion formation. These results warrant investigation of insulin and IGF-1 imbalances as direct modulators of claw integrity, potentially redirecting management strategies away from acid-suppression focus towards glycaemic control and metabolic stability in high-performance herds.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Insulin dysregulation appears to be a significant risk factor for hoof tissue degradation in cattle, independent of diet type or SARA status
- •High-starch diets alone may not be the primary driver of claw horn lesions; metabolic factors like insulin resistance warrant closer investigation
- •Further research is needed to clarify the role of insulin and IGF-1 imbalances in claw health before dietary management strategies can be refined
Key Findings
- •High-starch diet (37% starch) induced subacute rumen acidosis with lower ruminal pH compared to conventional diet (16.8% starch)
- •High-starch group showed elevated plasma glucose and IGF-1 concentrations indicating an anabolic state
- •Both diet groups showed significant negative correlation between insulin area under the curve and epidermal lamella length/width
- •Histological hoof alterations (reduced epidermal lamella dimensions) occurred similarly in both groups, suggesting dietary starch content and SARA development were not essential causative factors