In enterohepatic circulation, where are bile acids reabsorbed?

• A. Stomach
• B. Duodenum
• C. Ileum
• D. Large intestine

Answer: (C)

Bile acids are recycled through enterohepatic circulation, and their reabsorption happens mainly in the terminal part of the small intestine. The distal ileum contains specialized transporters, notably the ileal bile acid transporter, that actively take bile acids from the intestinal lumen into the enterocytes. From there, they move into the portal bloodstream and return to the liver to be reused in new bile. This efficient reabsorption maintains the bile acid pool and minimizes loss in feces.

While some reabsorption can occur earlier along the small intestine and in the colon, the vast majority is in the terminal ileum, which is why this site is the best answer. The stomach doesn’t reabsorb bile acids, and the duodenum, though part of the small intestine, is not the primary site of reabsorption.