Effect of dietary fat and residues on fecal loss of sterols and on their microbial degradation in cystic fibrosis.

Although various etiologic factors have been implicated, the mechanism responsible for bile acid malabsorption in CF remains unknown. Eight CF children studied twice on a normal diet supplemented with pancreatic enzymes and once during a one-month period of Vivonex administered by continuous nasogastric infusion were compared to age-matched controls. On the fat and residue-free elemental diet, there was a modest decrease in steatorrhea and no change in the daily excretion of nitrogen and neutral sterols.