Mitsuishi, H., & Yayota, M. (2024). The Efficacy of β-Carotene in Cow Reproduction: A Review. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14142133
Mitsuishi H, Yayota M. The Efficacy of β-Carotene in Cow Reproduction: A Review. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI. 2024. doi:10.3390/ani14142133
Mitsuishi, Hiroki, and Masato Yayota. "The Efficacy of β-Carotene in Cow Reproduction: A Review." Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2024.
A 2024 review of 52 cattle studies concludes that β-carotene supports luteal function in cows through its antioxidant action. Farm trials show uneven results, which the authors link to starting β-carotene and vitamin A levels, lactation, age, and season.
Key Findings
The authors identified 52 English-language studies published since 1975 on β-carotene and cow reproduction, using cell culture, observational, and feeding designs.
Blood β-carotene tracked closely with β-carotene in follicular fluid (r = 0.836) and in the corpus luteum (r = 0.818).
Higher β-carotene in the corpus luteum went with higher plasma progesterone (r = 0.339), larger luteal diameter (r = 0.428), and greater luteal weight (r = 0.423).
Among 2467 dairy cows on 127 farms in four European countries, approximately 40% of cows were β-carotene deficient.
The review's table of conception-rate trials is mixed: many trials report no significant difference, some report higher conception rates with β-carotene, and one reports lower rates with β-carotene.
Interpretation
The paper is a narrative review, a summary of published work with no new data. Its cattle studies use cell culture, observational, and feeding designs. The authors call the antioxidant mechanism a leading hypothesis and report inconsistent farm results. They suggest the differences may stem from baseline β-carotene intake, vitamin A status, lactation, age, season, and supplement duration. Dairy cows supply more of the research than beef cattle.
RRM Context
The review concerns cattle, and its focus on luteal function parallels the attention RRM gives the luteal phase of the human cycle. The authors say a cow's starting β-carotene and vitamin A status may explain uneven results, much as RRM checks a person's starting state before treating.
Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.
Abstract
β-carotene supplementation improves the reproductive performance of cattle. However, the research results on this topic have been inconsistent, and no clear conclusion has been reached. In previous reviews of this topic, the functional mechanism of β-carotene in reproduction remained unclear, but subsequent studies have shown that the antioxidant effects of β-carotene protect enzymes involved in ovarian sex steroid hormone production from the effects of oxygen radicals. This role consequently affects normal ovarian follicle dynamics, maintenance of luteal function, and the estrous cycle, and indirectly improves reproductive performance by preventing perinatal diseases and facilitating recovery from these diseases. Several factors must be considered in feeding management to determine whether β-carotene supplementation is effective for improving reproductive performance in cows. The same is true when the animal consumes a large amount of the antioxidant β-carotene due to lactation, aging, or season. Therefore, it is important to consider the balance between the supply and consumption of β-carotene and evaluate whether β-carotene supplementation has an effect on reproductive performance in cows.
