Polyunsaturated fat in the diet may improve intestinal function in patients with Crohn's disease

To investigate the effect of increasing dietary polyunsaturated fat intake on fat absorption in Crohn's patients, normal subjects and subjects with inactive Crohn's disease consumed a high polyunsaturated to saturated fat ratio diet. Subjects participated in breath tests before and after six months of a high polyunsaturated to saturated (P/S) fat ratio diet to measure their response to [1-13C] 10:0 and [1-13C] 16:0 ingested with a test meal. Whole body absorption-oxidation of C10:0 was not affected by the diet treatment. Before diet treatment, whole body absorption-oxidation of C16:0 in Crohn's patients was 80% of that observed for control subjects. After consuming a high polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio diet, subjects increased oxidation of C16:0 by 85% compared to before the diet treatment period. It is concluded that (1) absorption of labelled C16:0 from a test meal is reduced in Crohn's patients, and (2) consumption of a high polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio diet improves the utilization of dietary C16:0 by Crohn's patients.