Influence of carbon chain length of dietary fat on intestinal alkaline phosphatase in chylous ascites.

The long-term effects of chain length of dietary fat on intestinal lymphatic transport of alkaline phosphatase were investigated in two patients with chylous ascites due to leakage of intestinal lymph into the peritoneal cavity. Substitution of a medium-chain triglyceride diet for long-chain triglyceride resulted in a parallel fall in triglyceride and the intestinal isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase in chylous ascites. The concentrations of lymph triglyceride were linearly related to lymph intestinal alkaline phosphatase levels, suggesting a positive relation between absorption of long-chain triglycerides and transport of mucosal alkaline phosphatase into lymph.