Assimilation incorporates nutrients into body tissues

Steps:

• Recall assimilation as the process of using absorbed nutrients to build body structures, like proteins from amino acids.
• Eliminate options involving breakdown (digestion) or release (secretion), not incorporation.
• Identify synthesis of complex molecules from simpler ones as key to assimilation.
• Confirm the option matching protein synthesis from amino acids.

Why C is correct:

• Assimilation is defined as the anabolic process of assembling amino acids into proteins for tissue growth and repair.

Why the others are wrong:

• A: This describes absorption, the uptake of nutrients into the bloodstream, not incorporation.
• B: This is glycogenolysis, a catabolic breakdown for energy release, not building.
• D: This is endocrine secretion, hormone export from cells, not nutrient integration.

Final answer: C