Background
In the small intestine, dietary fat (primarily triglycerides) is digested by enzymes such as pancreatic lipase into smaller molecules which can be absorbed through the wall of the small intestine and enter the circulation for metabolism and storage. As fat is a valuable nutrient, human feces normally contain very little undigested fat. However, a number of diseases of the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract are characterized by fat malabsorption.
Examples of such diseases are:
- disorders of exocrine pancreatic function, such as chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis and Shwachman–Diamond syndrome (these are characterized by deficiency of pancreatic digestive enzymes)
- celiac disease (in which the fat malabsorption in severe cases is due to inflammatory damage to the integrity of the intestinal lining)
- short bowel syndrome (in which much of the small intestine has had to be surgically removed and the remaining portion cannot completely absorb all of the fat).
- small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome
Read more about this topic: Fecal Fat Test
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