Fat malabsorption--advances in our understanding.

The intestinal absorption of triglyceride constitutes a multistep process with active involvement of the pancreatobiliary system, the intestine and lymphatics. It is only through the integrated function of these organs that dietary triglyceride can be efficiently absorbed and delivered to the peripheral blood for subsequent metabolism. In this review we discuss each aspect of triglyceride absorption and chylomicron formation and illustrate how various diseases may interfere with the process resulting in fat malabsorption. In addition, the role of the intestine as a major synthetic source of lipoprotein constituents for circulating lipoproteins is discussed.