Question

Write a short note on the digestion of fats in the human body.

Answer 1

The digestion of such fats starts in the mouth, where, due to lingual lipase, short-chain lipids break down into diglycerides. The fat present in the small intestine stimulates the release of lipase from the pancreas, and the liver's bile allows fatty acids to break down.

Complete answer:
In the following steps, fat digestion takes place—
In the stomach and mouth:-
-In the mouth, the digestion of fats begins.
-As the teeth grind and separate into smaller pieces, mechanical digestion occurs.
-As the enzyme lipase in the saliva begins to emulsify fat and saliva moistens the food to make it easier to swallow, chemical digestion takes place.
-The muscles there began to churn in the stomach and shift to break it down further.
-The food becomes a semi-liquid substance known as chyme, as it leaves the stomach.
In small intestine:-
-The pancreas secretes bicarbonate ions as the chyme reaches the duodenum, which neutralizes the pH of the chyme that reaches the small intestine and breaks down fat through lipases.
Development of micelles:—
-Fats are (do not dissolve in water) hydrophobic.
-There is a hydrophobic as well as a hydrophilic end to bile molecules.
-To prevent the molecules from adhering together, the hydrophobic end sticks to each fat molecule and the hydrophilic protrudes.
-Micelles are called the combined structures of fat molecules and bile molecules.
4) Micelles breakdown:—
-Lipases act on micelles and break down fat molecules into fatty acids that pass through the small intestine and into monoglycerides.
-The fatty acids are converted to triglycerides that combine with cholesterol, phospholipids, and protein to form a structure called a chylomicron after they pass through the small intestine.
-The chylomicron's protein coating makes it water-soluble so that it can travel and eventually reach the bloodstream through the lymph vessels.

Note: When it enters the small intestine, the bulk of fat digestion occurs. This is where most nutrients are absorbed, too. Enzymes that break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins are formed in your pancreas. Bile is formed by your liver to help you digest fats and certain vitamins.