2 Digestive system Flashcards
What are the four stages of digestion?
- Ingesting, 2. Digesting, 3. Absorbing, 4. Eliminating
What are enzymes?
an enzyme is a protein found in your body that speeds up the chemical process of digestion. Each organ has one or more enzymes that help digestion
What is the purpose of digestion?
The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small enough particles that the body can use the food.
What happens to food that cannot be broken down into small enough parts for the body to use?
It is eliminated as feces (Poop)
What is ingestion?
Ingestion is taking in food, through biting into your food or putting it into your mouth.
What are the four stages of digestion?
Digestion happens in the 1. mouth, 2. esophagus, 3. stomach, 4. small intestine
What is mechanical digestion?
Mechanical digestion happens in the mouth when you use your teeth to chew and your tongue to swallow.
What is a bolus?
A bolus is the small piece of food after it is chewed and swallowed
What covers a bolus?
Saliva covers the bolus.
What is the purpose of saliva?
Saliva helps the bolus slide down your esophagus and continue it’s journey through the digestive tube.
What does saliva contain?
Saliva contains amylase which is an enzyme that starts the chemical digestive process.
Where does saliva come from
Saliva comes from your salivary glands in your mouth.
What does chemical digestion do?
Chemical digestion breaks down the complex carbohydrates from your food into simple carbohydrates that your body can use.
How much saliva do you produce a day?
You produce about 1 liter of saliva a day!! grossnessss
What is the pharynx?
The pharynx is where the airway and digestive system meet at the back of your throat. It is the first part of the esophagus.
What is the epiglottis?
The epiglottis is the flap of skin that covers the airway tube so food doesn’t go down there.
When you choke on food what has happened?
When you choke on food, the epiglottis has opened by accident and food has gone down the wrong way.
What is peristalsis?
Peristalsis is the process of the esophagus muscle pushing the food through the esophagus
What is inside your stomach to help with digestion?
Inside your stomach is gastric juice, which is made of hydrochloric acid, mucus, and enzymes.
Where does gastric juice come from?
Gastric juice is secreted by the stomach lining.
If gastric juice is acidic, what protects your stomach?
Mucus lines your stomach to protect it from acid.
What is the purpose of your gastric juice being acidic?
Pepsin, the enzyme in your stomach, needs an acidic environment in order to work properly.
What is chyme?
Chyme is the bolus (food chunk covered in saliva) that has been mushed around in the gastric juice, so now is a liquid.
How long is the process of bolus to chyme?
It takes two to six hours to break down your food into chyme.
