What term describes the process by which nutrients pass through the wall of the gastrointestinal tract?

What term describes the process by which nutrients pass through the wall of the gastrointestinal tract?

• A. Digestion
• B. Metabolism
• C. Absorption
• D. Excretion

Answer: (C)

Absorption is the process by which nutrients pass through the wall of the gastrointestinal tract into the body. After digestion breaks foods into small molecules, absorption takes over to move those nutrients across the intestinal lining into the bloodstream (and, for fats, into the lymphatic system). The small intestine, with its villi and microvilli, provides a large surface area to maximize this transfer, using mechanisms like active transport, facilitated diffusion, and passive diffusion. Digestion is the breakdown of food in the gut; metabolism refers to how cells use the absorbed nutrients for energy and building new tissues; excretion is the elimination of indigestible waste.

Absorption is the process by which nutrients pass through the wall of the gastrointestinal tract into the body. After digestion breaks foods into small molecules, absorption takes over to move those nutrients across the intestinal lining into the bloodstream (and, for fats, into the lymphatic system). The small intestine, with its villi and microvilli, provides a large surface area to maximize this transfer, using mechanisms like active transport, facilitated diffusion, and passive diffusion.

Digestion is the breakdown of food in the gut; metabolism refers to how cells use the absorbed nutrients for energy and building new tissues; excretion is the elimination of indigestible waste.