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Nutrition & Dietetics vocabulary · Digestion and Metabolism

Absorption

Meaning in nutrition & dietetics, with examples

/əbˈzɔːrpʃən/nounCore term

In nutrition & dietetics, absorption means: The process by which digested nutrients pass from the intestine, mainly the small intestine, into the blood or lymph so the body can use them.

In Turkish: emilim

How it is used

Very frequent in physiology and clinical nutrition. People talk about the absorption of iron, calcium or fat; something can 'increase', 'enhance', 'reduce' or 'inhibit' absorption. The verb is 'absorb'. Conditions that cause poor absorption are grouped as malabsorption.

Example sentences

  1. Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron from plant foods.

  2. Most nutrient absorption takes place in the small intestine.

Common collocations

  • iron absorption
  • nutrient absorption
  • enhance absorption
  • reduce absorption
  • malabsorption
  • digestionThe process in which the mouth, stomach and intestines break food down into small molecules that can be absorbed into the blood and used by the body.
  • bioavailabilityThe proportion of a nutrient in food that the body can actually absorb and use. Two foods with the same amount of a nutrient on paper may differ greatly in this respect.
  • gut microbiotaThe trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the digestive tract, mainly the large intestine, and help digest fiber, make some vitamins and support immunity.
  • ironA mineral that the body uses to make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood. It occurs as heme iron in animal foods and non-heme iron in plant foods.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Digestion and Metabolism

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.