Enzymes from the pancreas and intestinal glands continue the breakdown of proteins. They also change starch into simple sugars and fats into fatty acids. The body digests and absorbs fat with the help of bile, which is a thick yellow green fluid released by the liver. Bile is stored in the gallbladder and released into the duodenum. The small intestine may be 7.5 to 9 meters in length.
Food is moved along by peristalsis.
Digestion is completed in the small intestine. Most chemical digestion and absorption of food occurs in the small intestine. The small intestine is a long, coiled organ about one inch in diameter. The stomach connects with the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. The major digestion begins here.