Bile acids aid in the absorption of which of the following?

• A. Proteins
• B. Carbohydrates
• C. Fats
• D. Globulins

Answer: (C)

Bile acids act as detergents that emulsify fats in the small intestine, dramatically increasing the surface area available to pancreatic lipase. This emulsification breaks large fat droplets into tiny droplets, allowing lipase to efficiently hydrolyze triglycerides into fatty acids and monoglycerides. Those digestion products then form mixed micelles with bile salts, enabling their transport to the intestinal lining for absorption. This process is specific to fats and fat-soluble vitamins; proteins and carbohydrates are digested by different enzymes and absorbed as amino acids and simple sugars, respectively, not via bile acid–mediated emulsification. Globulins are a type of protein and are not absorbed through this fat-emulsifying mechanism.