Can Anyone Please Explain Me The Mechanism Of Food Absorption In Intestinal Area Of The Body?

Absorption of food in the small intestine; in the ileum the completely digested food is ready to be absorbed. The small intestine is just about twenty two feet long. Its internal layer is thrown into thousands of finger like projections called villi. They have numerous blood capillaries and a lymph vessel called lacteal in each villus. The glucose, amino acids, glycerol and fatty acids of the digested food diffuse through the lining of small intestine into the blood stream and lacteal; this whole process is known as the process of absorption.

All carbohydrates are absorbed in the form of glucose, fructose, and glactose. Proteins are absorbed in the form of amino acids. The small molecules of the digested food, principally amino acids and glucose pass through the epithelium of the capillary walls and enter the blood plasma.

Some of the fatty acids and glycerol from the digestion of fats do not enter the blood capillaries of the villi, instead they enter and recombine in the intestinal lining to form fats again, and then these fats pass into the lacteal. The fluid in the lacteal enters the lymphatic system and eventually empties its contents into the blood stream through the thoracic acid.

Add Comment

Report