Thyroid responses in rats fed diets formulated with Great Lakes coho salmon

In earlier papers we reported thyroid hyperplasia and goiters together with clinical signs of hypothyroidism in male rats fed diets of Great Lakes coho salmon (OncorhYnchus kisutch) (SONSTEGARD & LEATHERLAND 1979a, LEATHERLAND & SONSTEGARD 1980). In these preliminary studies, the rats were fed a total fish diet without supplementation of any kind. The present paper reports on the effects of Great Lakes coho salmon on thyroid function in rats when the fish was given as part of a formulated diet together with rat chow, vitamin, mineral, and lipid supplementation. The study is a further attempt to assess the possible health hazards of using Great Lakes salmon for human consumption and an attempt to monitor the level of goitrogenic xenobiotics in the flesh of these fish.