Annual review of literature on fats, oils, and soaps. I. Report of the literature review committee

R ~ v I ~ S . The subjects of general discussion an(l review articles pertiImnt to this division are: fa ts to energy (Lehni n g e , ~ J . Agr. # Food Chem. 1, 1194), lipide metabolism (Ar tom--An~. l~ev. Biochem. 22, 211), biochemistry of the fa ts (Kaufmaun--Fet te u. Seifen 55, 673; Grasas y acvites 3, 5), synthesis of f a t t y acids and fats in r ipening oilseeds (Hilditch--Chemistry ~ Industry 1953, 320), mechanism of fa t ty acid oxida£1on and synthesis, and carbon dioxide fixation (Lardy~Proe. Natl. Acad. Sei. U. S. 38, 1003), polymerized marine animal oils as edible oils (T~ufel--Fette u. Seifen 54, 689), clinical use of f a t injected intravenously ( I t s l ic et al .-Arch. I~ternal Meal. 89, 353), investigations on carbohydrate, f a t and protein metabolism with radioactive and stable isotopes (Mfiller &. Niklas--De~t. Z. Verdau~.ngs~ n. Steff wev~;set~rankh. i2, 293), fa£ synthesis frmu small molecules (Popjak--Biochem. Soy. Symposia 1952, 37), mechanism of synthesis and destruction of f a t t y acids (Martins--Forte u. Seifen 55, 1), biological oxidations (Slater--Ann. l~ev. B~ovhem. 22, 17), f a t ty acid catabolism and the citric acid cycle (Breusch--fnd Congr. intern, biochim. Chim. bioL I l I , Pari% 1952, 35), composition of na tura l fa t s ( K a r t h a J . Sei. Ind. Res. India, I l A , 354; 12A, 126, 242), body fa t in adult man (Keys & Brozek-Physiol. l~ev. 33, 245), essential f a t ty acids and their relation to pyridoxine (Sinclair--Biochem. See. Symposia No. 9, 80), chemistry and metabolism of the essential f a t t y acids (AbuNasr & Hotman--Ann. Rept. Hormel Inst. 1951-52, 34), fa t soluble vi tamins (Baumann-Ann . Roy. Bieehem. 22, 527), researches on the composition of animal fa ts in ~ e w Zealand (Shor landJ . Sei. Food ~ Agriv. d, 497), defective f a t absorption in man (French--Biochem. See. Symposia No. 9, 30), f a t embolism (Denman & Gragg--Areh. Surg. 57, 525), arteriosclerosis and cholesterol metabolism (Schettler--Deut. reed. Woehsehr. 78, 989), and obesity (Mayer--Physiol. Bees. 33, 472). FxT NuTP~TIO.~. The f a t nutr i t ion problems studied pertain to desirabili ty in the diet, amount compatible with good nutrition, essential f a t t y acids, nutr i t ive value, and relationships to other dietary constituents. Rats fed 22.7% f a t diets grew as rapidly as rats consuming high carbohydrate diets (3-4% fa t ) al though they consumed 4.8-5.7% less calories (French et al .--J. Nutr. 51, 329). This increase in efficiency of uti l ization of diet was also associated with a decrease in l ife span. Increased efficiency of feed utilization on adding fa t s to diets was also demonstrated with steers (Willey et a~.--J. Animal Sei. 11, 705) and with poultry (Pepper et al.--Poultry Sci. 3~, 1084). Another study with ra ts showed tha t a 40% f a t rat ion in comparison with isoealoric rat ions with 5% f a t produces bet ter weight gains at either room temperature or near freezing (Page & Babineau---Ca~. J. Med. Sei. 31, 22). Another test on chicks indicated tha t rations with added fa t are equal to basal diet without f a t (Seidler & Schweigert--Po~Itry Sci. 32, 449). Experiments on raising baby pigs with synthetic milks containing zero to 30% fa t levels showed tha t best growth is a t about 10% fa t and at zero f a t level all the pigs die (Nelson et al.--J. Animal Sei. 12, 771). Calves have shown no ill effects from consuming homogenized milk containing 3.6% of vegetable oil for a period of ever 45 days; but complete substi tut ion of bu t t e r f a t with the oil results in depletion of vi tamin A and toeopherol in the blood plasma and causes various syndromes which are not corrected with vi tamin B complex, antibiotics, tocopherols, grains or choline (Gnllickson et al.---J. Dairy Sei. 36, 599). In tests on effect of reconsti tut ing skim milk with various fa ts and oils, i t was found tha t the to ta l lipides of the plasma in calves was highest with either whole milk or soybean oil reconsti tuted milk, lowest with hydrogenated fat , ~ud intermediate with milks reconsti tuted from but ter oil and lard (Jacobsen et a l . ~ Ibid. 832). A substi tute milk, for feeding calves, made by r e p l ~ i n g 80% whole milk with a whey product plus f a t caused only sl ight reduction in growth and a slight ~endency to diarrhea; even complete replacement of whole milk without decrease in growtt~ is possible bu t tendency to diarrhea increases considerably (Young--Ibid. 600). High fa t , high calorie emulsions as the sole diet have been developed for oral feeding of selected pat ients (Kuhl et al .-J. Cliu. 2v~.tr. 1, 218). The efficiency (bicycle ergometer test) of four adul t Japanese, accustomed to less than 10% of thei r calories as fa t was not reduced with diets supplying 32-82% of the calories as f a t (Kawakaml et al.--Hyogo J. Med. Sc~. 1, No. 2, 51). In spite of the beneficial results produced by fa t in lowering the mortal i ty rate of ra ts following exposure to x-irradiation no concomitant improvement is evident in other x-irradiation injuries such as lower hemoglobin level or leukocyte count (Cheng et al.--J. N~tr. 48, 161). Deuel, Jr . et al. (Science 117, 254) suggests t ha t the x-irradiation protection mechanisnl of fa ts may be due to epidermal metabolism, because other proteetaJats, such as, cystine, ascorbie acid, and vitamin P also have favorable action in the nutr i t ion of the skin. Blood coagulation defects following to ta l body x-irradiation in the dog are part ial ly relieved by intravenous infusion of 2.5% solutions of soybean phosphatide (Whi te et al.--Proc. See. Exptt. Biol. Med. 83, 384). Several investigators used ra t growth as a measure of nutritive value of fats. Accordingly, Nieman et al. (Prac. Ko~in~l. Ned. Akad. Wetenschap. 55C, 587, 598, 605) found rats to grow exceedingly well when the dietary fa t was but te r fa t produced from dairy cows maintained on May grasses. Sunflower ell containing its na tura l phosphatides induced better growth than refined phosphatide-free oil (Buckman--Masloboino Zhirovaya Prom. 13, No. 4, 9). Ethyl esters of the fa t ty acids derived in the production of f a t t y Mcohol f rom spermaceti were shown to be as nutr i t ious as soybean oil (Akiya J . Japan,