ON THE NATURE AND RÔLE OF THE FATTY ACIDS ESSENTIAL IN NUTRITION

In our introductory paper on this subject (1) it was shown that when rats were reared on a fat-free diet a deficiency disease developed which had not been previously described. This disease is rather specific since the scaly condition of the skin develops while growth is continuing at an approximately normal rate. Later the tail often becomes necrotic and the kidneys degenerate, allowing the passage of blood into the urine. The animals always die at an early age unless fed a curative dose of fat. The fatty acid fraction is the only part of the fat effective in curing or preventing the disease. When a curative dose is fed, the extremely emaciated animals begin to grow and store depot fat. In the present communication the authors will discuss the following topics: further observation on the effects of the disease; effect of protein intake on the severity of the disease; effect of fat exclusion on water exchange; effect of fat exclusion on ovulation and reproduction; nature of the essential fatty acids.