American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 16, 213-223, Copyright © 1965 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Fecal Excretion of Lipids Before, During and After Hyperalimentation with Fat Administered Intravenously

¹ From the National Cancer Institute and The Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Bethesda, Maryland

Lipid excretion in feces was studied in a group of ten patients who were given 600 ml. of Lipomul I.V. daily for from sixteen to thirty-six consecutive days. Four patients with neoplastic disease and three with non-neoplastic disease participated in previously reported studies. Two of the remaining three patients, all of whom had neoplastic disease, were studied during complete parenteral feeding regimens.

Measurements of total lipid, soap, free fatty acid and neutral fat in feces showed a small but calorically inconsequential increase when fecal lipids during the hyperalimentation phase were compared with those during the control phase. Inspection of average values for all patients suggests that no particular lipid component was increased over another. In a patient with a primary hepatoma and advanced liver disease, infusions were associated with a marked increase in fecal free fatty acid. In five patients with adequate follow-up data, increased lipid excretion disappeared shortly after infusions were discontinued. Increases in fecal lipid excretion were observed in two patients when changes were made in their orally consumed diet, suggesting that considerable time is required for adaptation to a new dietary regimen.