Effect of dietary fat saturation of absorption and intestinal secretion of cholesterol by the hypercholesterolemic rat

Abstract

Abstract The fate of an oral dose of [4‐ 14 C] cholesterol given to rats grown on diets with 20% safflower oil or 20% hydrogenated coconut oil was determined by analysis of digestive tract, feces and tissues. The pattern of isotope distribution did not support the view that rats fed a saturated fat absorb less cholesterol than those fed an unsaturated fat. Fasted animals growth on the diet with 5% of these two fats and beef fallow showed no clear difference in the amount of digitonin‐peecipitable sterol in their intestines. A shorter transit time for intestinal contents was observed with the saturated fat groups. It is concluded that neither absorption of cholesterol from the gut nor secretion of β‐hydroxy sterol into the gut accounts for the hypocholesterolemic effect of polyunsaturated fat.