The Effect of Phosphatides on Utilization of Vitamin A and Carotene

Vitamin A-depleted rats fed a vitamin-free diet, supplemented with synthetic B vitamins and 2 U.S.P. units of vitamin A in the form of carotene, failed to gain weight in spite of the presence of 4% cottonseed oil in the diet. Satisfactory growth was obtained when soybean phosphatides (1%) were added to the diet. An amount of soybean oil (0.3 %) equivalent to that contained in the soybean phosphatides used also promoted growth but to a lesser degree. Rats fed the vitamin A-deficient diet supplemented with soybean oil and 2 units of vitamin A appeared in poor condition and began to lose weight after the third week.