Bile is a yellow-green digestive fluid produced continuously by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, a small organ beneath the liver
. Its primary function is to aid digestion, especially the breakdown and absorption of fats from the food you eat. When you consume a meal containing fat, bile is released into the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum), where bile salts emulsify fats by breaking large fat globules into smaller particles, increasing the surface area for digestive enzymes like pancreatic lipase to act
. Bile is composed mostly of water (about 95-98%) and contains bile salts (also called bile acids), cholesterol, bilirubin (a breakdown product of red blood cells), phospholipids, electrolytes, and other substances such as amino acids, steroids, and heavy metals
. Besides its digestive role, bile also helps eliminate waste products like excess cholesterol and bilirubin from the body
. Additionally, bile is alkaline, which helps neutralize stomach acid as it enters the small intestine, and bile salts have bactericidal properties that help destroy microbes in food
. Without bile, fats would largely pass through the digestive system undigested and unabsorbed, leading to nutritional deficiencies, especially of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K
. In summary, bile is a vital liver-produced fluid that facilitates fat digestion and absorption, waste elimination, and protection of the digestive tract
