A protocol for noninvasive quantification of dietary fat absorption in mice
Dietary fat absorption is a key determinant of energy balance, yet standard techniques to measure fat absorption are often invasive or challenging. Here, we present a protocol to non-invasively quantify intestinal fat absorption in mice during physiological feeding. We describe steps for preparing a diet containing a nonabsorbable lipid tracer and calculating fat absorption from fecal samples using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), alongside complementary approaches for measuring fecal energy loss by oxygen bomb calorimetry and fecal fatty acid composition by GC-MS. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Chan et al. 1
Authors
- Alvin P. Chan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7413-8745)
- Kelsey E. Jarrett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5358-8280)
- Thomas Q. de Aguiar Vallim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7642-5046)
- Elizabeth J. Tarling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0599-0432)
- Bethan L. Clifford
- Rochelle W. Lai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1423-197X)
- Kevin J. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8091-7924)
Institutions
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- UCLA Health (US)
- Mattel Children's Hospital (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- STAR Protocols
- Published
- 2026-06-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104658
- Primary Topic
- Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- American Heart Association
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases