Which organ empties bile into the small intestine?

Which organ empties bile into the small intestine?

• A. Pancreas
• B. Liver
• C. Stomach
• D. Gallbladder

Answer: (D)

Bile’s delivery to the small intestine hinges on storage and regulated release. The liver makes bile, which travels through bile ducts and would flow into the intestine, but it’s stored and concentrated in the gallbladder until digestion needs arise. When fatty chyme reaches the small intestine, it triggers the release of bile by the gallbladder. The gallbladder contracts and pushes bile through the bile ducts into the duodenum via the common bile duct, helping to emulsify fats. That makes the gallbladder the organ that empties bile into the small intestine. The pancreas and stomach don’t handle bile for digestion, and while bile is connected to liver production, the active emptying into the intestine is the gallbladder’s job.

Bile’s delivery to the small intestine hinges on storage and regulated release. The liver makes bile, which travels through bile ducts and would flow into the intestine, but it’s stored and concentrated in the gallbladder until digestion needs arise. When fatty chyme reaches the small intestine, it triggers the release of bile by the gallbladder. The gallbladder contracts and pushes bile through the bile ducts into the duodenum via the common bile duct, helping to emulsify fats.

That makes the gallbladder the organ that empties bile into the small intestine. The pancreas and stomach don’t handle bile for digestion, and while bile is connected to liver production, the active emptying into the intestine is the gallbladder’s job.