ABSORPTION OF WATER AND ELECTROLYTES
Conservation of the body’s supply of water and electrolytes, primarily sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate, is a
FIGURE 30-16 At least three different sodium co-transport proteins exist for the transport of amino acids: those for neutral, basic, and acidic amino acids.
A sodium co-transport process might be involved in the absorption of dipeptides and tripeptides, but this possibility is not well established.high priority for sustaining life. The gut plays a major role in this conservation, not only because it is the portal of entry for replenishment of the nutrients, but also because water and electrolytes in GI secretions must be efficiently reclaimed to maintain body composition. The most immediate clinical ramifications of Gl disease usually involve the loss of water and electrolytes. This section discusses the absorption of the major ions and electrolytes sequentially.