Effects of a calcium binder on the solubility of bile acids and fatty acids in the large intestine of the rat.

Kidney stone patients with hypercalciuria type I are treated with an oral calcium binder. Lower intakes of calcium (Ca) in the range of 0-1500 mg/day have been associated with an increased incidence of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of feeding ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid sodium salt (EDTA), a strong, non-absorbable binder of Ca, on the solubility of bile acids (BA) and long chain fatty acids (LCFA) in the large intestine of the rat. We have shown that the concentrations of soluble BA and LCFA in the large intestine contents remained constant while the concentration of total BA and LCFA decreased. Therefore, lowering the amount of Ca available for binding BA or LCFA is unlikely to increase the risk of colorectal cancer by that method.