How does the body digest fatty foods? & bull; hello healthy

Even though it is often labeled as bad, fat actually plays an important role in providing energy so that the body can carry out its functions properly. Fat also helps your body absorb important vitamins and produce essential fatty acids in the body to control inflammation, improve brain health, and much more. However, the body's process of digesting fatty foods is a little more complicated than other food sources. Like what?

Turns out, this is how the body digests fatty foods

Here is the body's process of digesting fat from start to finish.

1. Mouth

The digestive process has started as soon as you put food into your mouth. When chewing, the teeth will break the food into small pieces while the lipase enzyme from saliva also pulses the texture so that the food is more easily swallowed later.

2. Esophagus (esophagus)

The crushed food will then flow through the esophagus. This flow occurs due to peristalsis in the esophagus which makes the muscles in the throat move continuously to push food into the stomach.

3. Stomach

In the stomach, the stomach wall muscles will work like a blender to stir and mix all the food that you just swallowed with the food that you have previously eaten.

In addition, the lining of your stomach will naturally produce acids and enzymes to break down food chemically. This is done so that fat can be broken down into much finer pieces and can be directly digested in the small intestine.

4. Small intestine

The real digestion of fat occurs after the food you have swallowed is in the small intestine. Fat cannot be dissolved in water, so the emulsification process (mixing) of fat is needed.

In the upper part of the small intestine, more precisely the duodenum, the process of mechanical emulsification of fat continues with the help of bile acids produced from the gallbladder. Bile acids are substances that can emulsify fat and change its size to be hundreds of times smaller than its normal size.

At the same time, the pancreas, a small organ located under the stomach, produces the enzyme lipase to hydrolyze emulsions of fat into glycerol and fatty acids. The two compounds react with bile salts to produce even smaller fat molecules, called micels.

After the fat molecules are converted into micels, the lipase enzyme returns to work to break down the fat molecules into fatty acids and monoglycerides, which will later pass through the small intestine. After making it through the small intestine, fatty acids are converted into triglycerides, which combine with cholesterol, phospholipids, and proteins to form new structures called chylomicrons.

The protein layer of the chylomicron renders these molecules water-soluble. As a result, fat can be channeled directly through the lymph vessels and the bloodstream to various body tissues that need it.

As the chylomicrons move through the bloodstream, they pass triglycerides to the adipose tissue. About 20 percent of the triglycerides are then sent to the liver to be broken down and absorbed by the liver cells or used to produce energy. All of your cells can use fatty acids for energy, except for those in the brain, red blood cells, and eyes.

5. Large intestine and anus

The remaining fat that cannot be absorbed by the body will later enter the large intestine to be excreted from the body through the anus in the form of feces. This is what is known as the defecation process.

How long does it take for the body to digest fat?

Basically, everyone has a digestive system and a response to food is different. This is what makes each person digest fatty foods at different times.

There are many factors that affect how long the body absorbs fatty foods. Some of them include psychological conditions, gender, to the type of food you consume.

Foods high in protein and foods that are fatty, such as meat and fish, take longer to digest than foods high in fiber, such as fruits and vegetables. While candy, such as candy, biscuits, and cookies, are examples of foods that digest quickly.

In general, it takes about 24 to 72 hours for the body to completely digest fatty foods. According to research conducted by the Mayo Clinic, the average digestive time for men is around 33 hours and women approximately 47 hours.