228 in. DIGESTIBILITY OF FATS 



infants and in young children than it is in older children and adults. In 

 the case of premature infants, Tidwell and associates 65 noted a poor ab- 

 sorption of fats; olive and soybean oils were more readily digested than 

 was butter. Gordon and McNamara 89 likewise reported a high excretion 

 of fat in the feces of premature infants. Holt et a/. 63 obtained coefficients 

 of digestibility of 95 for olive oil, 97 for corn oil, 89 for butter, 88.7 for 

 coconut oil, and 83 for hydrogenated corn oil in normal infants less than 

 ten months old. The authors concluded that fats containing a high per- 

 centage of unsaturated fatty acids are more easily absorbed by infants 

 than are the more saturated fats. Williams and co-workers 90 reported 

 that the fecal fat excretion of children four to twelve years of age was 

 slightly but significantly higher for the older and larger children than for 

 the younger ones. The increased excretion was confined to the soap frac- 

 tion. Macy 91 noted that the coefficient of digestibility of children four 

 to twelve years of age on a mixed diet was 97 when an average of 79.30 g. 

 of fat was being ingested. Harrison and Sheldon 92 have also recorded a 

 lower digestibility of fat in children than in adults. 



(2) The Effect of Sex 



Although it is generally accepted that the digestibility of fats is inde- 

 pendent of sex, Severance 41 has obtained some evidence that female rats 

 exhibit slightly higher coefficients of digestibility when fed peanut oil or 

 hydrogenated peanut oil than do male rats of the same age. The varia- 

 tions in values obtained, although consistent, were quite small. 



(8) The Effect of Species 



Considerable variation has been noted in the coefficients of digestibility 

 of fats with high melting points, of castor oil, and of lard, in guinea pigs, 

 rats, and man. Moreover, the guinea pig digests olive oil rather poorly 

 when it is fed at a high level. These variations can be noted when the 

 results listed in Tables 9, 10, 11, and 14 are compared. 



In addition to the digestibility studies on guinea pigs, rats, rabbits, 

 sheep, and dogs, which are summarized in Table 13, tests have been made 



89 H. H. Gordon and H. McNamara, Am. J. Diseases Children, 62, 328-345 (1941). 



80 H. H. Williams, E. N. Endicott, M. L. Shepherd, H. Galbraith, and I. G. Macy, 

 /. Nutrition, 25, 379-387 (1943). 



91 1. G. Macy, Nutrition and Chemical Growth in Children. Vol. I, Evaluation, C. 

 C Thomas, Springfield, 111., 1942, pp. 92, 126. 



" G. A. Harrison and W. P. H. Sheldon, Arch. Disease in Childhood, 2, 338-348 

 (1927). 



