Answer :
Final answer:
Fatty stools result from the absence of bile or pancreatic juice, which are necessary for fat digestion. Bile emulsifies fats and pancreatic juice breaks them down into smaller molecules. Without these fluids, fats remain undigested and are excreted, leading to fatty stools.
Explanation:
Fatty stools, or steatorrhoea, can result from the absence of bile or pancreatic juice. These two fluids play a crucial role in the digestion and absorption of fats. Bile, which is made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder, contains bile salts that emulsify fats into smaller droplets—an action similar to how detergents break down grease.
This emulsification increases the surface area of fats, enabling better action of pancreatic lipase enzymes. Pancreatic juice contains these lipases that further break down the lipids into absorbable molecules like fatty acids and glycerides.
Without bile or pancreatic juice, fats cannot be properly processed and remain large and indigestible, causing them to be excreted in the stool, which becomes fatty.
When gallstones block bile ducts, or in conditions like jaundice, where bilirubin accumulates due to liver malfunctions, bile flow to the intestine is restricted, leading to fatty stools. Moreover, the absence of bile salts prevents the formation of micelles, which transport lipids to the intestinal lining for absorption.
In conclusion, bile and pancreatic juice are essential for lipid digestion. If they are lacking, fats are not emulsified or digested properly, resulting in their excretion as fatty stools.