Gastro-intestinal studies XI. Studies on the relative digestibility and utilization by the human body of lard and hydrogenated vegetable oil

Abstract

Two normal men were the subjects of the experiment, which was conducted in two periods of eight days each, separated by an interval of three days. The diets were so arranged that the fat, ingested during the first period, was mostly lard, while that of the second period was mostly hydrogenated vegetable oil. The daily feces were analyzed for total fat, fatty acid, and neutral fat by the Saxon method. The average percentage of digestion of lard was 96.75, and of the hydrogenated vegetable oil, 96.3, while the average utilization percentages were 94.7 and 93.35 respectively. It is thus apparent that the hydrogenated vegetable oil used in this experiment was as satisfactorily digested and utilized by normal men as was lard.