If a patient's pancreas fails to produce sufficient bicarbonate during digestion, which consequence follows regarding fat absorption?

💡 Explanation

Bicarbonate neutralizes acidic chyme entering the duodenum, raising pH to allow pancreatic lipase to function optimally in fat digestion. Without bicarbonate, the lipase is ineffective, because fat digestion and absorption decrease; therefore, digestion suffers rather than enterocytes directly absorbing triglycerides.

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