Lipid Compositional Changes in Calves Fed Excess Iodine

¹ Animal Research Centre, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C6

Calves were fed milk replacer containing .57, 10, or 200 ppm iodine (from ethylenediaminedihydriodide) to determine the effects of excess dietary iodine on composition of lipids in blood plasma, liver, and heart. High iodine intakes had no effect on plasma total lipids or lipid classes, but caused lipid class concentration changes in liver and heart. Both 10 and 200 ppm iodine increased concentration of liver phosphatidylethanolamine and heart phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, and total lipids, and the 200 ppm intake also increased concentration of liver phosphatidylcholine, total lipids, and heart phosphatidylethanolamine. Both iodine treatments tended to increase all the other minor lipid classes in liver and heart as well. Both 10 and 200 ppm iodine treatments increased some of the n—3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the major phospholipids of plasma, liver, and heart. For the preruminant calf, liver and heart may be more useful than blood plasma for indicating excess iodine effects on lipid metabolism.

Key Words: iodine • lipids • calves

Submitted on November 27, 1989
Accepted on April 30, 1990