How are fats digested in our bodies? Where does this process take place ? in (short)
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Answer:
Fats are present in the form of large globules in the small intestine. ... The bile salts (from the liver) break down the large fat globules into smaller globules so that the pancreatic enzyme lipase can easily act on them. This is referred to as emulsification of fats. This process takes place in the small intestine.
Fats are broken down to give fatty acids and glycerol and are released into the blood stream. Through the blood they are carried to places they may be required for the synthesis of other compounds, they are also reconverted into fats in some places and stored there, example: under the skin, around organs ,etc.
The first process for the digestion of fats begins in the mouth itself but most of the the fats are digested in the small intestine.
First, the common bile duct pours bile into the duodenum, bile helps in emulsifying fat particles to provide maximum surface area for digestion. Then in the duodenum, the pancreatic juice contains steapsin(a lipase) which converts emulsified fat in an alkaline medium(NaHCO3 in bile) into fatty acids and glycerol. In the ileum, the lacteals are lymph vessels present in the villi which reabsorb fatty acids and glycerol and put them into the bloodstream.