The Metabolism of Fats

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Abstract
Six groups of weanling rats were kept for 8 weeks in individual cages and fed adequate diets which contained 2% of cottonseed oil and 10% of the following fats: (1) corn oil; (2) the fatty acids of corn oil; (3) triricinolein; (4) ricinoleic acid; (5) the hydrogenated fatty acids of castor oil; and (6) commercial hydrogenated shortening. All animals were restricted to the same amount of daily food intake as those fed fresh corn oil and samples of feces collected for lipid analysis. At the end of the test period the animals were sacrificed, the livers removed, carcass and livers digested in dilute hydrochloric acid, lipids extracted, converted to methyl esters and subjected to gas-liquid chromatographic analysis. The results indicated that dietary hydroxy acids are deposited and influence the character of the normal mixed fatty acid composition of the carcass fat; and that both saturated and unsaturated hydroxy fatty acids are converted to monoeneoic acids in the rat. A larger amount of oleic acid and hexadecenoic acid seemed to be deposited and a preferential excretion of stearic and linoleic acids seemed to occur in animals fed a source of hydroxy fatty acids in comparison with those fed a source of linoleic acid. The significance of hydroxy fatty acid deposition on the characteristics of body fat composition were discussed and possible mechanisms to account for these results suggested.