Diet + Digestion Flashcards
(18 cards)
What are the seven components of a balanced diet?
Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and water.
What is the main function of carbohydrates in the diet?
To provide energy.
What is the role of fats in the body?
Energy storage, insulation, and protection of organs.
What is fibre important for in the diet?
Aiding the movement of food through the digestive system (peristalsis).
What enzyme breaks down starch into sugar?
Amylase.
Where is amylase produced in the body?
Salivary glands, pancreas, and small intestine.
What enzyme breaks down proteins into amino acids?
Protease.
Where is protease produced?
Stomach (pepsin), pancreas, and small intestine.
What enzyme breaks down lipids (fats) into fatty acids and glycerol?
Lipase.
What is bile, and what does it do?
Bile is a substance made in the liver and stored in the gall bladder that emulsifies fats and neutralises stomach acid.
What is the function of the stomach in digestion?
It churns food, secretes acid, and produces protease for protein digestion.
What is the role of the small intestine?
It digests and absorbs nutrients into the bloodstream.
What is peristalsis?
The wave-like muscle contractions that move food through the digestive system.
What organ produces bile?
The liver.
Where is bile stored?
In the gall bladder.
What is the function of the large intestine?
: To absorb water from undigested food and form faeces.
What is the purpose of enzymes in digestion?
to speed up the breakdown of large, insoluble food molecules into small, soluble ones.
What are villi and what is their function?
Finger-like projections in the small intestine that increase surface area for absorption of nutrients.
