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American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 11, 324-328, Copyright © 1962 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

The Study of Intestinal Absorption in Man

KONRAD H. SOERGEL M.D.1 and JOHN S. FORDTRAN M.D.1

1 From the Department of Medicine, Marquette University School of Medicine, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas

A variety of technics for studying absorption in man is available. The validity of oral tolerance tests depends on the extent to which the test substance is metabolized. whether urinary excretion or blood levels are studied, and whether the test substance is completely or incompletely absorbed in normal subjects. Tests utilizing materials which are largely or completely metabolized yield grossly unreliable results and should be discarded in the study of intestinal absorption. Recovery in the urine of partly or negligibly metabolized substances more accurately reflects total intestinal absorption, provided renal excretion is not governed by variations in blood levels. Test substances which are incompletely absorbed in normal subjects are more sensitive indices of intestinal malabsorption than those which are completely absorbed.

In certain instances, such as establishing the presence of steatorrhea, laborious balance technics are indispensable. However, because the time required for such studies is prolonged and the information obtained limited, this approach will probably be used less often in the future. Tests combining intubation procedures and a nonabsorbable marker offer a number of advantages: (1) different levels of the gut can be studied, (2) the results are not obscured by subsequent metabolism of the absorbed material, and (3) endogenous secretion into the intestinal lumen can be measured. One disadvantage is that in some instances the intubation maneuver itself may affect the results.

If the limitations and advantages of these various methods are kept in mind, significant information can be expected to come from their application to the study of human physiology and disease.






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