The Role of Dietary Fat in the Utilization of Protein

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Abstract
Weanling rats were fed, ad libitum, diets containing 1% of hydrogenated coconut oil (essential fatty acid-free diet) or 7% of sunflowerseed oil (control diet). One per cent of cholesterol was incorporated into both diets to increase requirements for essential fatty acids (EFA's). Growth was markedly reduced with the EFA-free diet, and characteristic signs of EFA deficiency developed within 5 weeks. When the rats were fed in pairs in such a way that, after 5 weeks (males) or 6.5 weeks (females), body weights within each pair were identical, food consumption of the EFA-deficient animals was found to be 40 to 60% greater than that of the controls. Food intakes were then equalized, and nitrogen balances determined. Although the protein and calorie consumption of the two groups was identical, nitrogen retention by the EFA-deficient animals was reduced by 35% (males) and 41% (females). These differences were reflected in body weight changes. Dietary cholesterol, per se, had no influence on protein metabolism. The effect of EFA-deficiency on the utilization of protein may be due to a disturbance in energy metabolism, but not to impaired absorption of energy-yielding nutrients. The digestibilities of the EFA-free and EFA-containing diets, calculated from measurements of the energy content of food and feces, were identical. The possible significance of these observations with respect to the nutrition of human infants in undernourished populations was discussed.

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