Effect of dietary iodine on thyroid hormones and energy blood metabolites in lactating goats

"\"Aim of this work was to evaluate if long-term dietary supplementation of potassium iodide (KI) to dairy goats can influence. metabolic and hormonal parameters. Thirty Sarda crossbred dairy goats were divided into three groups, which were orally. administered 0 (control group; CON), 0.45 (low iodine group; LI) or 0.90 (high iodine group; HI) mg of KI\\\/day, respectively.. The daily dose of KI (76.5% of iodine) was administered as salt dissolved in water for 8 weeks. Plasma contents of nonesterified. fatty acids (NEFA), urea, glucose, insulin, free triiodothyronine (FT3) and thyroxine (FT4) were determined weekly. Iodine. supplementation increased significantly the FT3 hormone (P50.007) and FT3\\\/FT4 ratio (P50.001) and tended to influence. the FT4 hormone (P50.059). An iodine level3week of sampling interaction for NEFA (P50.013) evidenced a temporary. concentration increase in supplemented groups. The ‘Revised Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index’ increased with KI. supplementation (P<0.01). Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and insulin were lowered (P<0.01) by iodine supplementation. (groups LI and HI; P<0.01). The glucose concentration evidenced an iodine level3week of sampling interaction (P50.025). due to an unexpected and temporary increase of its concentration in the CON group. Glucose concentration was decreased. by KI supplementation only in LI group (P,0.05). In conclusion, the daily supplementation of low doses of KI can improve. insulin sensitivity and decrease BUN in dairy goats.\""