Which statement about bile is true?

Which statement about bile is true?

• A. It digests proteins.
• B. It is stored in the liver.
• C. It emulsifies fats.
• D. It is produced by the stomach.

Answer: (C)

Bile’s job in digestion is to emulsify fats. It’s produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, then released into the small intestine when fatty foods are present. The key is that bile contains bile salts, which are amphipathic molecules. They surround fat droplets and break them into much smaller droplets, greatly increasing the surface area available for pancreatic lipase to work. This emulsification doesn’t digest fats by itself, but it enables efficient fat digestion. In contrast, proteins are digested by proteases in the stomach and small intestine, bile is not stored in the liver (it’s stored in the gallbladder), and bile is not produced by the stomach.

Bile’s job in digestion is to emulsify fats. It’s produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, then released into the small intestine when fatty foods are present. The key is that bile contains bile salts, which are amphipathic molecules. They surround fat droplets and break them into much smaller droplets, greatly increasing the surface area available for pancreatic lipase to work. This emulsification doesn’t digest fats by itself, but it enables efficient fat digestion. In contrast, proteins are digested by proteases in the stomach and small intestine, bile is not stored in the liver (it’s stored in the gallbladder), and bile is not produced by the stomach.