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Fat and Nitrogen Balances in Rats with Alcohol-induced Fatty Liver¹

Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Hospital J. J. Aguirre, Santiago, Chile

To test the role of defective intestinal absorption produced by ethanol on the pathogenesis of alcohol-induced fatty liver, fat and nitrogen balances were studied in rats pair-fed nutritionally adequate liquid diets containing ethanol (36% of calories) or isocaloric carbohydrate (controls). Alcohol feeding resulted in three- to fourfold increase in hepatic triglyceride concentration, whereas low protein feeding (4% of calories) only doubled it. Ethanol did not affect either fecal fat or nitrogen excretion or ileal losses of nitrogen, but increased significantly the urinary excretion of nitrogen. This effect of ethanol on nitrogen balance persisted in animals fed low protein diets, incriminating alteration of protein metabolism induced by ethanol rather than increased colonic breakdown of unabsorbed amino acids.

Manuscript received 16 April 1971.