What are the four main components of the Lymphatic Load?

• A. White blood cells and red blood cells
• B. Water, proteins, cells/cell fragments, short-chain fatty acids
• C. Water, proteins, cells/cell fragments, long-chain fatty acids
• D. Proteins, cells/cell fragments, glucose, long-chain fatty acids

Answer: (C)

Understanding what the lymphatic load consists of helps explain what lymph carries. The main components are water, proteins that have leaked into the interstitial space, cells or cell fragments (including immune cells and debris), and long-chain fatty acids that enter lymph from the gut as chyle after a fatty meal. Short-chain fatty acids are absorbed into the portal circulation rather than traveling in lymph, so they aren’t a primary component of the lymphatic load. Blood cells like white and red blood cells aren’t carried in lymph in significant amounts, and glucose is carried by blood, not lymph. So the four main components are water, proteins, cells/cell fragments, and long-chain fatty acids.