Digestive system

Question 1

Diet…

Answer 1

the food we eat

Question 2

Balanced diet…

Answer 2

contains an adequate amount of all the nutrients required by the body to grow, remain healthy and be disease-free

Question 3

The food groups…

Answer 3

Food can be divided into separate categories:

-Carbohydrates
-Fats and Oils (Lipids)
-Protein
-Vitamins
-Minerals
-Fibre
-Water

Question 4

Carbohydrates and what foods provide it?

Answer 4

To provide energy (quick release).

Cereals, bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.

Question 5

Protein and what foods provide it?

Answer 5

For growth and repair of our body tissues.

Fish, meat, eggs, beans, pulses and dairy products.

Question 6

Fats and Oils and what foods provide it?

Answer 6

To provide energy (slow release). Energy can also be stored in the body as fat and provides insulation against the cold.

Butter and some dairy products, oil and nuts.

Question 7

Vitamins and what foods provide it?

Answer 7

We only need small amounts of vitamins but they are essential for keeping our bodies healthy.

Different vitamins are needed for different reasons, e.g. vitamin A is needed for healthy skin and bones. Vitamin B12 helps us to make red blood cells.

Dairy products, fruit and vegetables
– the greater range of colours of fruit and vegetables you eat each day the better, because different coloured fruit and vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals.

Question 8

Minerals and what foods provide it?

Answer 8

We need lots of different minerals to help keep our bodies healthy.

Each mineral is needed for a different reason, e.g. iron to help us make red blood cells and calcium for healthy bones and teeth. We only need small amounts of each mineral.

Salt, milk (for calcium), red meat and dark green leafy vegetables (for iron), nuts.

Question 9

Fibre and what foods provide it?

Answer 9

We cannot digest fibre but it is important because it provides roughage that helps to keep food moving through the digestive system and helps to keep our digestive system healthy

Vegetables and wholegrain products, e.g. bran flakes and wholemeal bread

Question 10

Water and what foods provide it?

Answer 10

Needed for all the cells in our body to work properly and to clean the digestive system.

Water, milk, fruit and vegetables.

Question 11

What is the digestive system?

Answer 11

The digestive system converts the foods we eat into their simplest forms, like glucose (sugars), amino acids (that make up protein) or fatty acids (that make up fats) and absorb them into our blood for nutrients and health.

–The digestive system breaks down food into tiny particles which are absorbed into the blood.
–These particles provide energy for the body to grow, repair itself and remain healthy.
–Food that cannot be broken down is released from the body as faeces (poo)

Question 12

Mouth…

Answer 12

Digestion of food starts in the mouth.

Teeth break down the food and mix it with the enzymes in saliva.

Question 13

Oesophagus…

Answer 13

thin tube that connects the mouth to the stomach

Question 14

Liver…

Answer 14

releases a chemical called bile into the intestines.

Bile breaks down lipids in the food

Question 15

Stomach…

Answer 15

muscular bag which mixes food and drink with acid

Question 16

Pancreas…

Answer 16

releases enzymes into the intestines which break down carbohydrates, protein and lipids in food

Question 17

Small intestine….

Answer 17

carbohydrates, proteins and lipids digest.

The nutrients produced are then absorbed into the blood.

Question 18

Large intestine…

Answer 18

Food which cannot be broken down - mainly fibre - passes into the large intestine.

Water is absorbed into the blood.

Question 19

Rectum…

Answer 19

undigested food passes into the rectum where it is stored as faeces

Question 20

Anus…

Answer 20

opening at the very end of the digestive system through which faeces leaves the body

Question 21

what is digestion…

Answer 21

breakdown of food into smaller components that can be absorbed into the bloodstream

Question 22

what are enzymes and what is the role of enzymes in digestion…

Answer 22

enzymes are biological catalysts which regulate a rate of reaction and digestive enzymes play a key role in the breakdown of food as they break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Enzymes use these nutrients for growth and cell repair.

Question 23

what happens if an enzyme is denatured…

Answer 23

When enzymes are exposed to high temperature, it causes bonds to be broken, structure to be disrupted and it stops functioning.

BUT, the enzyme doesn’t die out.

Question 24

How is food and water absorbed and how are villi adapted for absorption?

Answer 24

The intestines have lots of tiny folds (villi) in them which create a large surface area for absorbing nutrients and water. In the small intestine there are also specialised cells called villi which have a tiny hair-like structure poking into the small intestine to absorb digested food.

Villi have a wall only one cell thick so the nutrients only have a short distance to diffuse into the blood.

Villi have capillaries inside them for a good blood supply to allow for quick diffusion into the blood.

Villi have a large surface area to allow quicker diffusion and exposure to more nutrients.