The influence of diet on the quality of faecal fat in patients with and without steatorrhoea

By the use of gas-liquid chromatography it has been shown that the quality of the faecal fat in individuals without steatorrhoea is little affected by changes in the quality of the dietary fat. Large amounts of non-dietary fatty acids have been identified in the faeces both of patients with and without steatorrhoea. These have been identified as a number of isomers of oleic acid and hydroxystearic acids, particularly 10-hydroxystearic acid.