Deoxycholic acid (DCA) is a bile acid which emulsifies and solubilizes dietary fats in the intestine, and when injected subcutaneously, it disrupts cell membranes in adipocytes and destroys fat cells in that tissue.
Bile Acids are natural products of cholesterol synthesis that aid in the emulsification and absorption of dietary fats in the small intestine. Elevated total fecal bile acid is indicative of a diagnosis of bile acid malabsorption. Quantification of fecal bile acids aids in diagnosis for IBS and identification of patients with chronic diarrhea who may benefit from bile acid sequestrant therapy. There is a connection between the liver health, fecal bile acid concentrations, and gut microbiota composition. Bile acids have both direct antimicrobial effects on gut microbes and indirect effects through FXR-induced antimicrobial peptides. Cholic acid (CA), Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), Deoxycholic acid (DCA), Lithocholic acid (LCA) are the major bile acids related to gut microbiome.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF YOUR DEOXYCHOLIC ACID (DCA) RESULT IS TOO HIGH?
Elevated total fecal bile acid is indicative of a diagnosis of bile acid malabsorption. Quantification of fecal bile acids aids in diagnosis for IBS and identification of patients with chronic diarrhea who may benefit from bile acid sequestrant therapy. There is a connection between the liver health, fecal bile acid concentrations, and gut microbiota composition. Bile acids have both direct antimicrobial effects on gut microbes and indirect effects through FXR-induced antimicrobial peptides.
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