THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THYROID-HORMONE METABOLISM AND FATTENING IN POULTRY - REVIEW ARTICLE

The present paper reviews the relationship between thyroid hormone met abolism and fattening and quantity of abdominal fat in poultry. On the basis of their own and literature data, the authors point out that th e thyroid hormones have an important role in the metabolism of fat in poultry. In general the low thyroid hormone concentration in the plasm a of fowl is associated with increased fatness, while high concentrati on of thyroid hormone is associated with decreased fat. Data from the literature show that hyperthyroidism reduces abdominal fat and indicat e that thyroid hormones affect not only growth, but also body composit ion. Changing activities of 5'-monodeiodase may be responsible for the se processes. The authors also review some diseases (autoimmun thyroid itis, ascites, glycogen and triglyceride storage syndrome) which are r elated to thyroid gland function and fat metabolism.