The goitrogenic effect of thousand-headed kale on adult sheep and rabbits

Abstract

Ewes that produced goitrous lambs as a result of grazing thousand-headed kale during pregnancy, also suffered interference with their thyroid functions. Adult rabbits were similarly affected by the kale. Both spring- and autumn-sown plants were goitrogenic but rabbits showed less effect when fed on dried kale. Radioiodine accumulated by the thyroids of the sheep grazed on kale, was discharged by thiocyanate, which indicates that the goitrogen of kale is of the thiouracil type. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.