ANTIOXIDANTS IMPROVE CATTLE IMMUNITY FOLLOWING STRESS

Free radical and nonfree radical oxidants can produce damaging effects in animal tissues if antioxidants are deficient. These oxidants are p roduced during metabolism and may be substantially increased by aerobi c exercise, stress, tissue injury, infection, and detoxification of ma ny compounds. Stress may precede an infectious episode in animals by d ecreasing antioxidants needed later by an active immune response. Anti oxidant nutrients such as vitamin E, beta-carotene and the trace eleme nts selenium, copper, zinc and manganese in enzymes are very important in protecting an animal's tissues from oxidative destruction. This pr otective benefit also results in an improved immune response which dec reases mastitis in dairy cows and infectious disease incidences arisin g in stressed cattle following shipping. The amount of nutrients neede d for immunoenhancement is higher than the suggested required amounts by NRC.