Tag: Fatty acid absorption

Over 95% of dietary fats are triglycerides, but how they are absorbed depends entirely on their molecular size. The fundamental differences between the absorption of long versus short chain fatty acids are determined by their chain length and water solubility, which dictate distinct and separate metabolic pathways.

Recent research highlights that the body uses multiple pathways for fat uptake, debunking the myth that all lipids follow one route. So, are fatty acids absorbed by simple diffusion? The truth is more complex, depending heavily on the fatty acid's length.

A single high-fat meal can result in large, triglyceride-rich particles circulating in your bloodstream for several hours. When considering where do fatty acids go during absorption, the pathway depends critically on their chain length, determining if they travel through the lymphatic system or the portal vein.

Despite the presence of gastric lipase, which begins breaking down fats, very little fat digestion and virtually no fatty acid absorption occur in the stomach. This is because the stomach's acidic environment and a lack of bile make it an unsuitable site for efficient fat processing. Instead, a specialized system transports absorbed fatty acids primarily from the small intestine.

The human digestive system employs a clever and complex mechanism for nutrient absorption, with a surprising dual pathway for fats. While most nutrients enter the bloodstream, lacteals are specialized vessels responsible for absorbing digested fats, but not in their initial free fatty acid form.