Final answer:
Lipids take a longer time and effort to digest compared to other food materials. Lipid digestion primarily occurs in the small intestine with the help of enzymes, and absorption mainly happens there as well. After digestion, lipids are transported in the bloodstream and stored in tissues as triglycerides.
Step-by-step explanation:
The digestion of lipids takes a longer duration of time and effort compared to the digestion of other food materials such as carbohydrates and proteins. Lipid digestion primarily occurs in the small intestine with the help of enzymes like lingual lipase, gastric lipase, and pancreatic lipase. Pancreatic lipase breaks down triglycerides into free fatty acids and a monoglyceride. Absorption of lipids mainly happens in the small intestine, with short-chain fatty acids being directly absorbed by enterocytes via simple diffusion. The lipids are then transported in the bloodstream, resynthesized into triglycerides, and carried as chylomicrons. They are eventually hydrolyzed by lipoprotein lipase in various tissues.