Hi everyone! In the IMAT lessons, we learnt that saliva contains amylase (first breakdown of carbohydrates). However there is also lingual lipase - is this part of the scope of the IMAT? Can we say saliva helps in the initial breakdown of both starch and fats?
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Hi!
You’re right as Saliva do contains lingual lipase and initiates the breakdown of lipids in the oral cavity but I think this is not within the scope of IMAT also i think Cambridge does not consider the beginning of lipid digestion in the mouth the reason because in one of the old BMAT’s 2003 question 1 it’s a question regarding starch, proteins and the Fat digestion and where they are actually initiated in the body so, according to them Fat digestion begins in the small intestine not in the mouth.
Hope it helps:)
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Hmm, I wonder if a question like that comes up how I should answer haha, since it’s an old paper… I found it on a BMAT prep workbook that’s why.
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Hey! Sorry for the delay I tried to check again past paper and it seems they don’t count lipase as an enzyme in the saliva, just the pancreatic one.
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