Lymphatic absorption of cholesterol was determined in 11 unanaesthetized dogs with thoracic duct bypasses or fistulae, following the administration of corn oil or butterfat with and without cholesterol supplementation. Comparisons based on fixed amounts of lymph or total lymph lipid, as well as the estimated overall sterol recoveries, showed that the conclusions can vary depending on how the calculations are done. On the basis of data collected in the same animal, it was concluded that the glyceride type of dietary fat had no significant effect on lymphatic absorption of cholesterol in the dog. The feeding of butterfat, corn and coconut oils, or simple triglycerides to different animals resulted in widely varying lymph cholesterol levels, which could not be correlated with any of the variables under direct experimental control.
