Table 2 Effect of feeding a control lower-energy diet (CON, 1.24 Mcal/kg DM; high-straw) during the whole dry period (~50 d), a higher-energy (1.54 Mcal/kg DM) diet without (OVE) rumen-protected methionine during the last 21 d before calving, or OVE plus rumen-protected methionine (Smartamine M; OVE + SM; Adisseo NA) from -21 d before calving through the first 30 d postpartum on biomarker concentrations of metabolism, liver health, and oxidative status in Holstein cows

 Cholesterol, mmol/L

3.24

3.16

3.26

0.11

0.76

<.0001

0.71

 Creatinine, μmol/L

97.60

98.88

97.68

1.53

0.77

<.0001

0.17

 GH, ng/mL

5.75

4.79

6.95

1.08

0.23

<.0001

0.82

 IGF-1, ng/mL

56.65

60.03

59.98

6.64

0.91

<.0001

0.69

 Leptin, ng/mL

4.44

5.42

4.40

1.62

0.84

<.0001

0.29

 Urea, mmol/L

5.20

5.05

5.05

0.18

0.77

<.0001

0.30

 Albumin, g/L

35.41

35.54

36.32

0.41

0.24

0.0002

0.05

 Bilirubin , μmol/L

2.29^a

3.38^b

2.57^ab

0.41

0.10

<.0001

0.57

 Ceruloplasmin, μmol/L

2.77^ab

2.91^b

2.61^a

0.09

0.006

<.0001

0.51

 GGT, U/L

22.96^a

25.21^ab

26.85^b

1.17

0.07

<.0001

0.008

 GOT, U/L

84.76

90.30

81.71

5.61

0.48

<.0001

0.04

 Haptoglobin, g/L

0.42

0.46

0.41

0.06

0.76

0.003

0.86

 IL-6, pg/mL

530.63

586.37

412.76

98.56

0.37

0.001

0.67

 SAA, μg/mL

35.55^a

54.00^b

34.77^a

7.79

0.10

0.0005

0.58

 β-carotene, mg/100 mL

0.20

0.19

0.23

0.02

0.14

0.04

0.06

 Liver GSH, mmol/L

953^a

1281^b

1693^c

120

0.0002

0.05

0.14

 NO₂, μmol/L

6.03

6.66

6.80

0.45

0.44

0.01

0.09

 NO₃, μmol/L

18.65^a

16.90^b

16.77^b

0.40

0.002

<.0001

0.08

 NO_x, μmol/L

24.61

23.54

23.67

0.56

0.31

<.0001

0.18

 ORAC, TE mol/L

12,731

12,359

12,739

198

0.25

<.0001

0.66

 Paraoxonase, U/mL

77.96^a

68.41^b

66.74^b

2.68

0.01

<.0001

0.02

 Retinol, μg/100 mL

46.39

41.79

43.42

3.10

0.44

0.0009

0.08

 ROM, mg of H₂O₂/100 mL

14.01

12.99

13.44

0.49

0.31

<.0001

0.79

 Tocopherol, μg/mL

3.67

3.68

3.16

0.44

0.46

<.0001

0.31