Life Without These Body Fluids Is Impossible

Bile
Bile is a brown to dark green fluid that is produced by the liver, stored in the gallbladder (a synonym for bile is gall), and released into the intestines when we eat. It is partly responsible for the color of vomitus and stool. Its most important ingredient is bile salts, which function like soap to break down dietary fats, enabling them and fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D and E to be absorbed. They also help to prevent the cholesterol-containing bile in the gallbladder from forming gallstones.Curiously, about 15 grams of bile salts are excreted into the intestine each day, yet the human body contains only about five grams in total. How is this possible? The answer is that bile salts are recycled, being reabsorbed into the blood through the small intestine and then secreted again by the liver. Some intestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, can damage the part of the small bowel where bile salts are reabsorbed, predisposing patients to gallstones.