Production and Counteraction of a Fatty Acid Deficiency in the Guinea Pig

Abstract

Summary

These experiments have shown that omission of fat from the diet of the guinea pig results in a syndrome characterized by: retardation of growth, dermatitis, marked drying of the inside of the ears and, in some animals, ulcers, loss of fur, and a tendency to a swollen, somewhat cyanotic condition of the feet. All of these symptoms were corrected by the oral administration of linoleic acid. These results afford the first demonstration of the necessity for the guinea pig of a dietary source of linoleic acid or, possibly, of some other fatty acid present in corn oil.