Nutrient absorption

Ages

Introduction

Summary

Most of the absorption takes place in the small intestine .Because it depends on the amount of epithelial membrane exposed to the chime (partially digested food coming from the stomach), the greater the surface area of the intestinal wall is, the  better is the absorption. This increased surface area is provided by folding in the intestinal wall and by the structures called villi (singular: villus)

Goals

• To illustrate how  the  absorption of nutrients takes place.

Features

Click on to zoom in on the area where  absorption is occurring.

Tags

digestion nutrients absorption digestive-system digestive-tract intestine villi microvilli lacteal capillary capillaries intestinal-wall epithelium blood lymph plicae chyme