Digestion Flashcards
What are the stages of food processing? (4)
- Ingestion – voluntarily taking food through the mouth
- Digestion – food is broken down into small molecules
- Absorption – small molecules move into the blood
- Egestion – undigested material is excreted
Components of the Digestive System =
Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) / Alimentary canal + Accessory glands
Gastrointestinal tract = (8)
mouth → pharynx → oesophagus → stomach → small
intestine → large intestine → rectum → anus
Accessory glands = (4)
salivary glands + liver + gallbladder + pancreas
What are sphincters?
Regulate the passage of material between components and slow processes down to aid digestion and absorption
How is food digested? (6)
- Upper oesophageal sphincter (UOS) → after swallowing, food goes through UOS and then goes through Lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) 5 – 8 s later.
Malfunction of LOS → heartburn/gastric reflux → acidic content of stomach pushes up into oesophagus if LOS does not close properly → acidic content reacts with sensitive lining of oesophagus causing pain
- Stomach → food stays in stomach for 2 -6 h after ingestion → small amounts of food exist from Pylorus slowly to allow small intestine to digest content
- Sphincter of Oddi → regulates digestive enzymes + bile from gallbladder
- Ileocecal valve → food exits small intestine from this sphincter into the large intestine → 5 – 12 h after ingestion before food moves into large intestine/colon
- Food moves through colon → takes 7 – 72 h until it reaches rectum
- Expelled after 24 – 72 h after ingestion from internal + external sphincters
What is mechanical digestion?
Mastication: grinding of bolus by teeth to breakdown food into smaller pieces → helps increase SA for enzymatic activity
What is chemical digestion?
→ enzymatic hydrolysis → breakdown of larger food into simpler molecules by enzymes in presence of water
Starch →
Glucose [Amylase]
Protein →
Amino acids [Protease]
Fat →
Fatty acids + glycerol [Lipase]
Chemical digestion of starch →
Salivary amylase in the mouth helps breakdown/hydrolyse starch into maltose + dextrins
What are salivary glands?
→ exocrine glands (glands with ducts) that produce
saliva
What are the types of salivary glands? (3)
- Parotid gland
- Location: back of the cheek
- Produces: amylase for chemical digestion - Submandibular gland
- Location: jaw - Sublingual gland
- Location: under the tongue
What do the Submandibular + Sublingual glands produce?
Submandibular + Sublingual gland produce mucus to lubricate food to facilitate swallowing → forms bolus
What are the stages of Swallowing/Deglutition? (3)
During mechanical and chemical digestion, nasal cavity is open, allowing for air to go down the trachea into the lungs
1. Oral phase
2. Pharyngeal phase
3. Oesophageal phase
What is the oral phase? (4)
- Voluntary
- Tongue presses food against roof of the mouth, triggering pressure receptors which causes swallowing centre, that initiates reflexes preventing food entry into nasal passages
- As you prepare for swallowing, soft palate/uvula at the back of the throat, blocks nasal cavity, preventing bolus going into nasal cavity
- Tongue blocks the oral cavity
What is the Pharyngeal phase? (2)
- Involuntary
- Larynx elevates and glottis closes by the epiglottis to ensure bolus of food does not go down trachea and cause choking
What is the Oesophageal phase? (2)
- Involuntary
- Food passes through UOS, which then closes, allowing for the nasal cavity to open again
What is peristalsis? (2)
→ part of the oesophageal phase
- Wave-like motions of the alimentary canal, moving food bolus forwards
- Contraction of smooth muscle in the walls of the oesophagus, forcing bolus down the oesophagus
What is the stomach? (3)
Stores: Rugae → gastric folds → allow stretching of the stomach (can stretch to store 2 L)
Fundus actively expands with the amount of food taken in
Disinfects food: Has acidic content not allowing microorganisms to survive
What are the 3 muscle layers of the stomach?
= oblique + circular + longitudinal → contraction aids mechanical digestion and mixing of food with secreted gastric juices