Question at position 8 Individuals who have had their gallbladders removed may have difficulty digesting and absorbingcarbohydratesnucleic acidsfatsproteinseverythingClear my selectionSingle choice
A
carbohydrates
B
nucleic acids
C
fats
D
proteins
E
everything

Question

Question at position 8 Individuals who have had their gallbladders removed may have difficulty digesting and absorbingcarbohydratesnucleic acidsfatsproteinseverythingClear my selection

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Bile emulsifies dietary fats, so fats are the nutrient most affected by gallbladder removal.

1) Relevant knowledge points and concepts
- The liver produces bile; the gallbladder stores and concentrates it and releases it into the duodenum in response to a fatty meal.
- Bile salts emulsify large lipid droplets into small micelles, increasing surface area for pancreatic lipase to hydrolyze triglycerides into monoglycerides and free fatty acids.
- Fat absorption (and absorption of fat‑soluble vitamins A, D, E, K) depends on micelle formation driven by bile salts.
- Carbohydrate, protein, and nucleic acid digestion rely primarily on salivary, gastric, and pancreatic enzymes, not on bile.

2) Step‑by‑step reasoning process
- Step 1: Food enters the duodenum; fat triggers cholecystokinin (CCK) → gallbladder contraction → concentrated bile is delivered to emulsify fats.
- Step 2: Emulsified fats are acted on by pancreatic lipase to form absorbable products; micelles transport these products to enterocytes.
- Step 3: Remove gallbladder → liver still makes bile, but there is no concentrated, meal‑timed bolus; bile is released more continuously and less concentrated.
- Step 4: Without concentrated bile at mealtime, large fatty meals are less effectively emulsified → reduced lipase access → impaired fat digestion and absorption.

3) Intermediate steps (conceptual calculations)
- No numeric calculations are required; the intermediate logical steps are: bile presence → emulsification → lipase action → micelle formation → absorption. Disruption at the bile step reduces downstream fat absorption.

4) Why the correct answer is correct
- Fats uniquely require bile salts for emulsification and micelle formation; loss of the gallbladder primarily impairs this bile‑dependent process, so fat digestion/absorption is most affected.

5) Why other options are incorrect
- Carbohydrates: broken down by amylases (saliva, pancreas) and absorbed without bile.
- Proteins: digested by pepsin and pancreatic proteases (pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin) independent of bile.
- Nucleic acids: digested by nucleases and absorbed independently of bile.
- Everything: incorrect because only fat digestion is directly dependent on bile; other macronutrients remain largely unaffected.

6) Conclusion
Because bile from the gallbladder is essential for emulsifying dietary lipids and facilitating their absorption, the correct answer is fats, matching the provided answer.

Question at position 8 Individuals who have had their gallbladders removed may have difficulty digesting and absorbingcarbohydratesnucleic acidsfatsproteinseverythingClear my selectionSingle choice

Similar Questions

Which of the following is not true?

Troy recently had his gallbladder removed. This means he is likely to have difficulty digesting _____.

Bile is an enzyme that breaks down triglycerides into fatty acids and glycerol.

Expansionary fiscal policy in an open economy with a floating exchange rate will likely:

Contractionary monetary policy in an open economy with a floating exchange rate will likely:

Contractionary monetary policy in an open economy with a fixed exchange rate will likely ____ a trade surplus.

Which is expansionary monetary policy?

Which is contractionary fiscal policy?

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler