Science: The Path of Food Flashcards
(24 cards)
What are the 5 stages of digestion?
Indigestion, Digestion, Absorption, Assimilation, Egestion.
What is Indigestion?
Taking in food through the mouth.
What is Digestion?
Breaking down food.
What is Absorption?
Taking digested food from our intestines into our blood.
What is Assimilation?
Using the food in the cells of the body.
What is Egestion?
Discharge of undigested waste.
Why do we need food?
To give us energy, to provide the raw materials for growth, and to allow us to repair the body.
What is the function of the mouth in digestion?
To take in and digest food. Two types of digestion take place: Physical digestion and chemical digestion.
What is Physical Digestion?
The breakdown of food using mechanical or physical methods.
What are the types of teeth?
Incisors, Canine, Premolars, Molars.
What are Incisors?
Sharp edges, like a chisel, used to cut, slice and nibble food.
What are Canines?
Long and pointed, used to grip and tear food.
What are Premolars?
Large with flat surfaces, used for chewing, crushing and grinding food.
What are Molars?
Larger than premolars, used for chewing, crushing and grinding food.
What is Chemical Digestion?
The breakdown of food using enzymes (or hydrochloric acid in the stomach).
What is an Enzyme?
A chemical (made of protein) produced by the body that speeds up chemical reactions in the body without the enzyme being used up.
What do Salivary glands do?
They produce saliva, which helps to soften and moisten the food, and contains amylase.
What does Amylase do?
Breaks down starch and turns it into a sugar called maltose.
What is the function of the Oesophagus?
Forces down food from mouth to stomach (by peristalsis).
What is the function of the Stomach?
Organ for physical digestion, chemical digestion, kills bacteria, and softens food.
What is the Small Intestine?
Chemical digestion and absorption, is about 6m long, the liver and the pancreas help digest the food.
What is the Large Intestine?
Is 1.5m long, reabsorbs water, stores waste faeces, and egests faeces.
What does the Liver do?
Makes bile, which breaks down fat, and is the largest organ.
What does the Pancreas do?
Makes enzymes.
