Benefits of Chromium Supplementation
The relationship between growth, immunity, and stress are important to understand in order to achieve optimal nutritional management for our cattle. It was once believed that all feedstuffs would provide sufficient concentrations of essential trace minerals. However, recent studies have shown that among our most common feed ingredients, they are often lacking in many essential trace minerals. Chromium is one of these minerals that cattle are not getting enough of from forage and grain feeds.
An essential nutrient
Chromium is an essential nutrient and supplementation has nutritional and financial benefits worth considering. The primary function of chromium is to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the release of the stress hormone cortisol. The more insulin-sensitive an animal is, the more glucose that will be available for uptake by body cells.
Glucose is the primary fuel source for muscle growth, as well as for immune function. The body prioritizes immune function over muscle growth which results in lower body gains during times of illness.
Stress response and immunity
Cattle experience many stressors throughout their productive lives. Some common stressors include; birth, weaning, vaccination, castration, shipping, re-grouping, and freshening. During times of stress, the nutrients required to supply an immune response are partitioned away from nutrients needed for growth. In addition, to further make this problem worse, stress often causes cattle to decrease feed intake, which makes glucose in even shorter supply.
To keep up with all the metabolic changes that happen during a stressful event, the animal’s body produces cortisol (the primary stress hormone), which signals the liver to produce more glucose to make up for the shortage. The pancreas then releases more insulin, which will allow the cells to uptake the glucose. The cycle continues throughout the period of stress, and insulin resistance develops. Glucose absorption into the cells decreases, and fat tissue must be mobilized for energy. Ending in oxidation of non-esterified fatty acids in the liver and a decrease in feed intake.
Chromium supplementation has been found to decrease serum cortisol during periods of stress, and improve insulin sensitivity. Four chromium molecules are able to bind to one insulin receptor, which potentially produces an eight-fold enhancement of insulin receptor activation, and facilitates glucose absorption in to the cell.
Application
Ruminants primarily utilize Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA’s), produced as byproducts in the rumen, as energy. However, glucose is still utilized for muscle growth and immune function. The pre-weaned calf absorbs glucose mainly through the small intestine, until it becomes a fully functioning ruminant. Research has shown that insulin sensitivity is greater in the pre-ruminant than in the adult ruminant animal. Supplementing Chromium may improve insulin’s effectiveness and enhance disease resistance, and result in greater and more efficient gains.
Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) is one of the most common diseases found on feedlots and calf ranches. Research at Texas Tech University found that the number of animals treated for BRD linearly decreased in relation to increasing chromium propionate supplementation. The same study also showed a linear increase in dry matter intake and average daily gain with chromium supplementation.
Health of the animal also has a lot of influence on the quality of carcass that is produced. Muscle accounts for over 80% of the insulin dependent uptake of glucose. Research on the effect of chromium supplementation on carcass weight have found; increased numbers of GLUT4 transporters on the cell surface, improved live performance, and increased hot carcass weight.
There are many health, growth, and economic benefits to supplementing cattle with Chromium. Visit with your nutritionist to determine the cost to benefit trade-off that might be available on your operation.
Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.