Which statement about chylomicrons is true?

Which statement about chylomicrons is true?

• A. They travel via portal vein to the liver
• B. They carry dietary fat in the lymphatic system to tissues, not via the portal vein
• C. They are formed in the liver to carry endogenous triglycerides
• D. They transport cholesterol esters only

Answer: (B)

Chylomicrons are the lipoproteins that transport dietary fats absorbed from the gut. After fats are taken up by enterocytes, they are re-esterified into triglycerides and packaged with apolipoprotein B-48 and other lipids to form chylomicrons. These particles enter the lymphatic system via the intestinal lacteals and travel through the lymphatic network before reaching the bloodstream, effectively bypassing the portal vein. In capillaries, lipoprotein lipase breaks down the triglycerides to release fatty acids for tissues such as muscle and adipose tissue; the resulting chylomicron remnants are cleared by the liver. This path explains why the statement that chylomicrons carry dietary fat in the lymphatic system to tissues, not via the portal vein, is correct. They are not formed in the liver (endogenous TGs are carried by VLDL), and they do not transport cholesterol esters only—their main cargo is triglycerides.

Chylomicrons are the lipoproteins that transport dietary fats absorbed from the gut. After fats are taken up by enterocytes, they are re-esterified into triglycerides and packaged with apolipoprotein B-48 and other lipids to form chylomicrons. These particles enter the lymphatic system via the intestinal lacteals and travel through the lymphatic network before reaching the bloodstream, effectively bypassing the portal vein. In capillaries, lipoprotein lipase breaks down the triglycerides to release fatty acids for tissues such as muscle and adipose tissue; the resulting chylomicron remnants are cleared by the liver. This path explains why the statement that chylomicrons carry dietary fat in the lymphatic system to tissues, not via the portal vein, is correct. They are not formed in the liver (endogenous TGs are carried by VLDL), and they do not transport cholesterol esters only—their main cargo is triglycerides.