Effects of the Prevention of Coprophagy in the Rat

Abstract

Essential fatty acid deficiency in the rat is hastened by complete prevention of coprophagy. This observation does not imply that these fatty acids are synthesized in the large intestine, but does show that the unsaturated fatty acids of the feces are, in part at least, of an essential nature. The serum cholesterol of the essential fatty acid-deficient rat is lower than is obtained by merely feeding a fat-free diet without the development of the deficiency syndrome. Furthermore, it appears that the level of serum cholesterol in the deficient rat may not respond to dietary changes such as the inclusion of saturated fat in the same manner that is observed in the non-deficient animal. Accumulation of liver cholesterol in the non-deficient as well as the deficient rat receiving a fat-free diet has been confirmed.