Enzymes and Digestion of Carbs, Proteins, Fats · Physiology

Bile salts are essential for fat digestion, but they can actually inhibit the action of pancreatic lipase by displacing it from the fat droplet. How does the body overcome this?

  1. By secreting gastric lipase, which is resistant to bile salts
  2. By secreting colipase, which anchors lipase to the droplet
  3. By raising the pH of the duodenal contents up toward about 9.0
  4. By absorbing the bile salts before lipase begins its work
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: By secreting colipase, which anchors lipase to the droplet

Colipase is a small protein secreted by the pancreas in an inactive form (procolipase) and activated by trypsin. It binds to both the bile-salt-coated lipid droplet and pancreatic lipase, acting as a bridge that allows lipase to access the underlying triglycerides.

Difficulty: Medium Question 27 of 40

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