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. 1971 Aug;12(8):654–660. doi: 10.1136/gut.12.8.654

Polyethylene glycol 4000 as a continuously administered non-absorbable faecal marker for metabolic balance studies in human subjects

R Wilkinson
PMCID: PMC1411764  PMID: 18668835

Abstract

The use of polyethylene glycol 4000 as a non-absorbable, continuously fed faecal marker is described. The intestinal handling and transit of polyethylene glycol is compared with that of chromium sesquioxide and barium sulphate. Polyethylene glycol is an acceptable non-absorbable faecal marker for calcium, phosphorus, and fatty acids, and has several features which commend its use in preference to insoluble chromium sesquioxide and barium sulphate particularly when marking water-soluble dietary constituents.

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Selected References

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