Digestive utilization of goat and cow milk fat in malabsorption syndrome

We studied the effects of goat and cow milk fat on the digestive utilizatio n of this nutrient and on some of the biochemical parameters that are relat ed to the metabolism of lipids, using rats with a resection of 50% of the d istral small intestine and control animals (transected). The fat content of all diets was 10% but the lipid quality was varied: the standard diet was based on olive oil, while the other two diets included fat obtained from ly ophilized goat milk and cow milk, respectively. The digestive utilization o f the fat was lower in the resected animals than in the transected ones for all three diets studied. In both resected and transected animals, the appa rent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of the fat was greater with the standa rd diet (olive oil) than with diets whose fat content was provided by goat or cow milk. The digestive utilization of the fat was greater in the transe cted and resected rats receiving a diet of goat's milk (rich in medium-chai n triglycerides) than those given a cow-milk-based diet, and more closely a pproached the values obtained for olive oil. The consumption of goat milk r educed levels of cholesterol while levels of triglycerides. HDL, GOT and GP T remained within the normal ranges, for both transected and resected anima ls. The advantageous effect of goat milk on the metabolism of lipids with r espect to cow milk suggests that the former should be included in the diet in cases of malabsorption syndrome.