Which of the following indicates the function of sodium bicarbonate released by the pancreas?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A.
Sodium bicarbonate inhibits peristalsis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B.
Sodium bicarbonate stimulates the pyloric sphincter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C.
Sodium bicarbonate is a protease that digests carbohydrates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
D.
Sodium bicarbonate neutralizes the acidity of chyme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The correct answer is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n D. Sodium bicarbonate neutralizes the acidity of chyme.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Explanation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, plays a crucial role in the digestive process by neutralizing the acidity of chyme. Chyme is the semi-fluid mass of partly digested food that is ejected from the stomach into the small intestine. The stomach’s acidic environment, maintained by hydrochloric acid (HCl), is necessary for digestion and activation of digestive enzymes. However, when chyme moves from the acidic environment of the stomach to the more alkaline environment of the small intestine, its acidity needs to be neutralized to prevent damage to the intestinal lining and to provide an optimal pH for the action of intestinal enzymes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pancreas, an essential organ in the digestive system, secretes sodium bicarbonate as part of its pancreatic juice. This secretion occurs through ducts that release the bicarbonate directly into the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. Sodium bicarbonate reacts with the hydrochloric acid in the chyme to form carbonic acid, which then breaks down into water and carbon dioxide. This reaction effectively raises the pH of the chyme, making it less acidic and creating a more neutral environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The neutral pH is essential for the function of pancreatic enzymes such as lipase, protease, and amylase. These enzymes are secreted in their inactive forms and require a neutral or slightly alkaline environment to become active. Lipase breaks down fats, protease digests proteins, and amylase continues the digestion of carbohydrates that started in the mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In summary, the primary function of sodium bicarbonate released by the pancreas is to neutralize the acidity of chyme as it enters the small intestine. This process is vital for protecting the intestinal mucosa and ensuring the effective functioning of digestive enzymes, which is crucial for the proper digestion and absorption of nutrients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Which of the following indicates the function of sodium bicarbonate released by the pancreas? A.Sodium bicarbonate inhibits peristalsis. B.Sodium bicarbonate stimulates the pyloric sphincter. C.Sodium bicarbonate is a protease that digests carbohydrates. D.Sodium bicarbonate neutralizes the acidity of chyme. The Correct Answer and Explanation is: The correct answer is: D. Sodium bicarbonate neutralizes the acidity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exams-certification"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}