RESUMO
Changes in the environment, including nutritional changes, can influence fetal and postnatal development of the offspring, which can result in differences in growth, metabolism, reproduction, and health later in life. In beef cattle research on energy and protein restriction during late gestation appears to be contradictory. Therefore, in this review, we will examine the nutrient requirements recommended for this period. We are summarizing contradictory data on effects on offspring performance with possible explanations of the reason for why the data seems contradictory. We will finish by discussing some areas that we consider important for further research to increase the knowledge on how maternal nutrition influences offspring development. In particular, suggestions are provided on the need for more accurately measuring nutrient and energy supply and use and the impact on subsequent epigenetic effects. This will improve understanding of nutritional effects during gestation on offspring performance.
The objective of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on the effect of protein and energy restriction during the last third of gestation to beef cows on growth performance of offspring, focusing principally on Bos taurus cows. We divided the review in three sections: 1) evaluating the current beef cow requirements, highlighting areas in need of a more current research, 2) demonstrating some inconsistency on growth and carcass characteristics variables due to energy and protein restriction in late gestation, and 3) offering our opinion on future research in the area.
