[Absorption of medium chain triglycerides in patients with blind loop syndrome]

Absorption of medium chain triglycerides (MCT) was estimated in 10 patients with stagnant loop syndrome (SLS). Six patients had steatorrhea due to gastrojejunal anastomosis and 4 due to diabetic neuropathy. The diagnosis of SLS was confirmed by antibiotic therapeutic test after exclusion of other causes of malabsorption syndrome. Each patient was submitted to 2 types of diet during one week each, differing only in the type of added lipid. In the diet with long chain triglycerides (LCT), soy oil and butter were added. In the diet, with medium chain triglycerides, only MCT oil from babaçu was added. The excretion of lipid was determined in the feces in the last 3 days of each diet. The results showed that the medium fecal lipid excretion was 48.6 (sd = 19.8) g/d in the LCT diet and 26.6 (sd = 13.8) g/d in the MCT [d = 22.0; s(d) = 3.10; t = 7.10; p less than 0.001], which indicates that in patients with SLS, MCT diet was better absorbed than LCT diet. It is suggested that MCT oil may be used as a caloric source during nutritional recovery in SLS.