Studies on the Relation of Diet to Goiter

Abstract

Foods rich in iodine, dried milk, oysters and haddock, and Irish moss, were fed to rats as supplements to a goiterproducing diet. The antigoitrogenic properties of the milk, oysters and hadlock are in proportion to their iodine content, and of the same order of magnitude as those of potassium iodide. Irish moss, on the other hand, possesses lower antigoitrogenic power than is indicated by its iodine content. The goiter-preventing properties of milk and oysters are correlated with their iodine content, and not with the improvement in protein quality or mineral and vitamin supply when they are added to a diet containing protein of poor biological quality, low in vitamins, and not adequately balanced as to minerals.