What components make up gastric juice?

Gastric juice is a digestive fluid produced by the stomach that plays a vital role in breaking down food. The correct components that make up gastric juice include mucus, enzymes, and hydrochloric acid.

Mucus serves to protect the stomach lining from the corrosive effects of hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes. Hydrochloric acid is crucial for creating an acidic environment, which is necessary for activating digestive enzymes and breaking down food particles. The enzymes present in gastric juice, such as pepsin, facilitate the digestion of proteins into smaller peptides. This combination of components creates an efficient system for the initial stages of digestion, preparing food for further processing in the intestines.

The other options consist of substances that do not accurately represent the composition of gastric juice. For instance, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are nutrients that the body consumes rather than components secreted by the stomach. Oestrogen, bile, and vasopressin are unrelated substances involved in other bodily functions. Similarly, while enzymes, hormones, and bicarbonate are important in digestion and might be linked to other digestive processes, they do not constitute gastric juice specifically.