OUR LONG TERM GOAL IS TO DEVELOP MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO OPTIMIZE METABOLISM, OVERALL HEALTH, AND MILK PRODUCTION IN DAIRY CATTLE. THE TRANSITION PERIOD IN DAIRY CATLE, DEFINED AS 3 WEEKS BEFORE TO 3 WEEKS AFTER CALVING, IS RECOGNIZED AS A PERIOD OF HIGH RISK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF COSTLY PRODUCTION-RELATED DISEASES INCLUDING MILK FEVER, KETOSIS, RETAINED PLACENTA, INFECTIOUS MASTITIS, AND ABOMASAL DISPLACEMENT. AS THE COW NAVIGATES THIS TIME OF HIGH ENERGY DEMAND, THERE ARE WELL-CHARACTERIZED CHANGES IN LIPID (FAT) METABOLISM THAT OCCUR. THESE CHANGES ARE SIMILIAR TO THE METABOLIC CHANGES THAT OCCUR IN PEOPLE WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, METABOLIC SYNDROME, AND TYPE 2 DIABETES. CENTRAL TO ALL THESE DISEASE IN PEOPLE AND THE TRANSITION PERIOD IN DAIRY CATTLE, IS A DECLINE IN HIGH DENISTY LIPOPROTEIN (HDL). IN HEALTH, HDL IS A POTENT ANTI-OXIDANT LIPOPROTEIN THAT DECREASES THE ACTIVATION OF KEY EFFECTOR CELLS IN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. IN HUMAN MEDICINE, THE DECLINE IN HDL CONTRIBUTES TO INFLAMMATORY DISEASES AND THUS IS TARGETED BY BOTH DRUGS AND NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS. ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE SUPPLEMENTS FOR INCREASING HDL AND IMPROVING THE FUNCTION OF THIS COMPLEX LIPOPROTEIN IS THE POLYPHENOL CURCUMIN, WHICH IS DERVIED FROM THE TUMERIC ROOT. IN THIS STUDY, WE ARE TAKING THE FINAL STEPS TO FORMULATE A HIGHLY-CONCENTRATED CURCUMIN DIETARY SUPPLEMENT THAT CAN WITHSTAND THE HARSH CONDITIONS OF THE RUMEN AND HELP TO COW TO RETAIN HIGHER LEVELS OF HDL WHEN THIS ANTI-OXIDANT IS MOST NEEDED, DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD. WE WILL EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS SUPPLEMENT IN IMPROVING THE METABOLIC STATE OF THE COW. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL CHALLENGE A SMALL NUMBER OF COWS FED THIS SUPPLEMENT, TO DETERMINE IF THEY ARE MORE ABLE TO WARD OF MASTITIS. THIS STUDY WILL ALLOW US TO DETERMINE IF FEEDING CURCUMIN IMPROVES LIPID METABOLISM, AND SPECIFICALLY HDL CONCENTRATION, IN A WAY THAT PROTECTS THE COW FROM EXCESSIVE, TISSUE-DAMAGING INFLAMMATION.