A lacteal is a lymphatic vessel that absorbs dietary fats in the small intestine. Individual lacteals merge to form larger lymphatic vessels that transport the fats to the thoracic duct which empties into the jugular vein. At this point, the fats are in the bloodstream. They can be converted to lipoproteins (HDL, LDL or VLDL) in the liver or be transported to tissues throughout the body and stored in adipocytes as triglycerides.

See also

• Villus

The thoracic duct drains into the left subclavian vein (see article on chylomicrons)