Question

How does bile help in the digestion of fats?

Answer 1

HOW DOES BILE HELP IN THE DIGESTION OF FATS?

1. With secretion of pancreatic and intestinal juice in duodenum, a third important secretion takes place in it for the digestion is called as bile.
2. Bile is produced in liver and enters in the intestine by bile duct.
3. It contains bile pigments, bile salts and cholesterol, among which bile salts perform main function for the digestion of fats, compare to bile pigments and cholesterol.
4. Bile pigments and cholesterol are mostly eliminated from body as excretory products.
5. Bile salts are basically salts of sodium of glycocholic and taurocholic acids that are composed of glycol and taurine with cholic acid.
6. Presence of bile increases the secretion of pancreatic lipase.
7. Bile salts play a major role in the digestion of fats by reduction of its surface tension and break them into small droplets. This process is known as emulsification.
8. These digested fats then combine with fatty acids and form soap like complexes, which facilitate their absorption. This process is known as saponification.
9. It is a viscous liquid having alkaline nature and bitter in taste. It is of yellowish brown to green colour.
10. Bile salts helps in the removal of chyme’s acidity and turns it into alkaline forms that facilitate other enzymes to act.
11. In addition of bile function for digestion, it is also important for the absorption of fatty acids. With combination of fatty acid, bile salts are soluble in nature and can be easily absorbed in the intestinal wall.

REFERENCE:

1. Image: http://health.rush.edu/healthinformation/graphics/images/en/9104.jpg

Answer 2

BILE mainly emulsifies (breaking) the large fats molecules whose digestion does not take place in Stomach.

By emulsification of fat, bile mainly increases their surface area which helps the enzyme present in Small intestine for their digestion.