High School

What causes fat absorption to be slow, allowing most of the fat to remain unabsorbed and pass into the large intestine?

A. Presence of bile
B. Presence of pancreatic juice
C. Absence of bile
D. Absence of pancreatic juice

Answer :

The correct answer is (c) Absence of bile. The presence of bile is essential for efficient fat absorption in the small intestine. Bile, produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, emulsifies dietary fats, breaking them down into smaller droplets.

This process increases the surface area of the fat particles, allowing pancreatic enzymes called lipases to access and digest them effectively. In the absence of bile, fat absorption is impaired because the fat droplets remain large and are not adequately broken down by pancreatic lipases. Consequently, most of the fat remains unabsorbed and passes into the large intestine, where it can contribute to fecal bulk and may cause symptoms such as diarrhea or steatorrhea (excess fat in the stool).

Therefore, the absence of bile results in slow fat absorption and increased fat excretion in the feces. Hence, The correct answer is (c) Absence of bile.