Abstract
Mitchell, Dodge (1) and Day (2) reported that cataract develops in rats fed on hyperlactose and hypergalactose diets. Consequently, lactose and galactose are regarded as factors in cataract development. On the other hand, Takuma and Takayama (3) observed that cataracts developed from purified lactose can be inhibited by the addition of whey to the diet. Similar results were obtained by Tamura and coworkers (4). However, the nature of the factor in whey playing a key role here has not been determined. In 1957, Ogihara (5), one of our laboratory staff, reported that neutral fatty acids in whey have this inhibiting effect. Later, we made studies of the factor contained in whey and whey powder and further advanced the analytical studies of these fatty acids.
