DIETARY LIPIDS INFLUENCE GUT ADAPTATION FOLLOWING RESECTION.

Abstract

Certain lipids, primarily long chain fats and especially highly unsaturated long chain fats from marine oil stimulate gut adaptation following resection. We evaluated the effects of 2 diets with different lipid composition on mucosal adaptation. Forty 150 g male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into groups receiving 80%, 70% and 60% small bowel resections to determine the appropriate degree of resection that results in the greatest differences in adaptation. Rats were further divided into 2 dietary groups and pair fed diets, 1 predominantly safflower oil, the other contained both docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA). All diets contained 30% of their calories from fat. After 2 weeks, mucosal mass, protein, DNA and disaccharidase levels were measured in the remaining small intestine, both proximal and distal to the anastomosis. Rats receiving 80% resection significantly provided the highest levels of adaptation when compared to the other resection lengths. Studies using the 80% resection model revealed that DHA and AA stimulated adaptation significantly more than safflower oil, a good source of linoleic acid. These studies suggest that modification of dietary lipids may enhance gut adaptation in short bowel syndrome. Figure