It is
important to highlight that the occurrence of diseases in
early postpartum can further accentuate the adverse
effects of NEB, as sick cows have reduced appetite and
oftentimes lose more body weight than healthy cows.
In addition to the changes in energy
balance, circulating concentrations of antioxidants
such as β–carotene, and vitamins A (retinol) and E
(α-tocopherol) also are regulated temporally and
decrease around parturition (Goff et al., 2002).