Alternate pathways of digestion and absorption in early infancy | Alternate pathways of digestion and absorption in early infancy. [editorial]
1984
Lebenthal, Emanuel | Lee, P.C.
Neonates can tolerate more lipid and carbohydrate than would be expected due to their low levels of pancreatic lipase and amylase. Infants can absorb 85-95% of the fats in their mother's milk (despite low pancreatic lipase and bile salt levels), and can absorb 90-99% of orally-fed corn syrup and starches. Two different lipase sources may account for this. Lingual lipase from the serous glands of the tongue in infants may be involved in the estimated 60-70% of ingested fat hydrolysis occurring during gastric digestion. Mothers milk also provides lipases to the infant during breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has been shown to be associated with a lowering of infant stool fat, and infants absorb a third less fat when fed boiled breast milk. Other enzyme systems active in early infancy to aid digestion and absorption (e.g., salivary amylase, brush-border glucoamylase) also are discussed. (wz)
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