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Chapter 14 Roles of bile acids in intestinal lipid digestion and absorption

1985; Elsevier BV; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0167-7306(08)60690-0

1875-7901

Bengt Borgström, J. A. Barrowman, Mikael S. Lindström,

Muscle metabolism and nutrition

This chapter discusses the roles of bile acids in intestinal lipid digestion and adsorption. Bile has an important role in medicine. The effect of an impaired bile flow to the intestine has been known to result in steatorrhea (fat malabsorption) and defective absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, notably vitamin K. Thus, it bile is important for fat assimilation from the intestine. However, it is equally apparent that when fat absorption after bile obstruction or diversion could be studied by quantitative methods, the malabsorption was found to be only partial. In fact, some 60–70% of a normal fat load is absorbed in man and the experimental animal in the absence of bile in the intestine. The absorption of nonpolar lipids, however, is much less efficient, and cholesterol absorption is reported to have an absolute requirement for the presence of bile salts. Of the bile components important for fat absorption, bile salts have been ascribed the main role although experimental results are accumulating, regarding the role of bile phospholipids in the specific uptake of sterols by the intestine.