A nutritional evaluation of acetostearins in rats

Abstract

Abstract A modified glyceride, acetostearin, has been studied in feeding experiments with rats using several nutritional and biochemical criteria. As acetostearins are more readily absorbed than the standard fats from which they are prepared, it was possible also to study the effect of high levels of saturated fat on essential fatty acid utilization. The retarded growth and poor survival of acetostearin‐fed animals indicate the possibility of antagonism of the acetostearins to essential fatty acid utilization. The decreased plasma cholesterol levels and elevated liver cholesterol values observed in the acetostearin‐fed animals appear to be due mainly to essential fatty acid deficiency. High cholesterol levels in the adrenals show some indication of the involvement of caloric insufficiency in cholesterol metabolism of acetostearinfed rats. Therefore, the probable explanation of the poor nutritional performance of rats fed acetostearin is a combination of essential fatty acid deficiency and caloric insufficiency.