Dietary linoleic acid, gastric acid, and prostaglandin secretion

Basal and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion, fasting serum gastrin concentrations, and the gastric output of prostaglandin E and its major metabolite 13,14-dihydro 15-keto prostaglandin E2 were measured in 9 normal subjects before and after 14-20 days of dietary supplementation with linoleic acid. Mean maximal gastric acid output fell from 36.0 +/- 3.3 (SEM) to 30.1 +/- 2.9 mmol/h (p less than 0.05), although mean basal acid output was not significantly affected (8.3 +/- 2.1 and 7.2 +/- 1.7 mmol/h, respectively). Mean fasting serum gastrin concentrations increased from 19.2 +/- 3.1 to 30.9 +/- 3.8 ng/L (p less than 0.01) after linoleic acid, probably because of acid suppression. The mean output of prostaglandin E increased from 498 +/- 110 to 1254 +/- 465 ng/h (p less than 0.05); that of its metabolite increased from 165 +/- 18 to 1168 +/- 645 ng/h (p less than 0.01). These findings show that in normal subjects essential fatty acid weakly inhibits gastric acid secretion, but considerably increases gastric prostaglandin output.