Digestion Flashcards
(33 cards)
What is digestion?
The breakdown of food (whether chemically or mechanically) into small soluble substances/nutrients which can be absorbed into the bloodstream and used by the body.
What is the digestive system?
A group of organs which work together to break down food into soluble nutrients which can be used by the body for energy, growth and repair. It also eliminates waste products from the body.
What is the alimentary canal?
The passage through which food travels and is digested in the body - a continuous tube which begins at the mouth and ends at the anus.
What are the organs in the digestive system?
Mouth (teeth, tongue, salivary glands), Esophagus, Stomach, Liver, Gallbladder, Pancreas, Small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum), Large intestine (colon, rectum), Anus.
What is mechanical digestion?
The physical breakdown of large food particles into small particles, e.g., churning, chewing.
What is chemical digestion?
The use of enzymes to break down food particles into smaller soluble and absorbable substances.
What role do teeth play in digestion?
Teeth break down food by chewing.
What do salivary glands do?
Produce saliva which contains enzymes (e.g., salivary amylase) that begin chemical digestion (e.g., of carbohydrates); soften the food.
What is the function of the tongue in digestion?
Helps food mix with saliva and forms it into a bolus (ball of food) for swallowing.
What is the esophagus?
A muscular tube connecting the mouth to the stomach and uses peristalsis (wave-like muscle contractions) to move food down to the stomach.
What is the stomach’s role in digestion?
A muscular hollow organ which stores food and mixes it with gastric juices to form chyme; the location where major chemical digestion begins and microbes are destroyed.
What happens in the small intestine?
Most of the digestion and nutrient absorption takes place; has villi and microvilli which increase surface area for nutrient absorption.
What is the function of the large intestine?
Absorbs water and electrolytes from the remaining indigestible food matter sent from the small intestine, forms faeces.
What does the rectum do?
Stores faeces until they are ready to be expelled.
What is the anus?
The opening through which faeces are eliminated from the body.
What is the liver’s function?
Produces bile; detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs.
What does the gallbladder do?
Stores bile.
What is the pancreas responsible for?
Produces digestive enzymes that are released into the small intestine; produces insulin and glucagon - hormones that regulate blood sugar levels.
What is elimination in digestion?
Removal of indigestible substances and waste products from the body.
What is ingestion?
Taking in food through the mouth.
What is absorption?
The process where nutrients, broken down from food during digestion, are taken into the bloodstream to be used by the body.
What are enzymes?
Chemicals which break large insoluble food particles into smaller soluble molecules.
What does protease do?
Breaks protein into amino acids.
What is pepsin?
A type of protease that breaks proteins into smaller peptides in the stomach.
