Where are fats absorbed and broken down in the body?

• A. Stomach
• B. Liver
• C. Small intestine
• D. Pancreas

Answer: (C)

Fats are digested and absorbed mainly in the small intestine. Bile salts from the liver emulsify dietary fats, increasing their surface area so pancreatic lipase can efficiently hydrolyze triglycerides into free fatty acids and monoglycerides in the lumen. These digestion products form micelles with bile salts, which deliver them to the enterocytes where they are absorbed. Inside the cells they’re reassembled into triglycerides and packaged with cholesterol and proteins into chylomicrons, then released into the lymphatic system for transport. The stomach has only limited lipase activity and is not the primary site of fat digestion or absorption, while the liver and pancreas contribute components of digestion (bile for emulsification and lipase for hydrolysis) but the critical absorption step happens in the small intestine.