chyle

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chyle The milky fluid which travels in the lymphatic vessels draining the small intestine. It contains most of the products of digestion of the fat content of a meal, which are absorbed into the microscopic lacteals in the villi that project from the intestinal lining. Chyle is a particular type of lymph — the general term for fluid drained from body tissues; it flows into progressively larger channels to join lymph from other parts of the body in the thoracic duct in the chest, and thence reaches the bloodstream.

Stuart Judge


See alimentary system; lymphatic system.

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