Fecal energy excretion was measured by bomb calorimetry, in a group of 30 healthy volunteers and 15 patients with tropical sprue, to determine the absorption of nutrient energy. The mean energy absorption in the healthy volunteers (91.6%) was less than in similar subjects in temperate climates. The reduction of energy absorption in the volunteers, who all have tropical enteropathy, suggests tha...

Mean and peak jejunal bile salt concentrations during digestion of a standard fat meal were found to be significantly lower in six Puerto Rican patients with untreated tropical sprue, all of whom had steatorrhoea, than in six asymptomatic subjects who had normal fat absorption. Bile salt pool size and turnover time did not differ significantly in the two groups.It is suggested that bile salt co...