Digestion Flashcards
What is the alimentary canal?
A long tube that runs from the mouth to the anus
What is the alimentary canal part of?
The digestive system
What parts of the body are part of the digestive system?
Alimentary canal
Liver
Pancreas
What is the salivary gland?
Produces amylase
What does the liver do?
Produces bile
What does the gall bladder do?
It stores bile
What does the oesophagus do?
Where peristalsis occurs
The tube where a bolis moved from the mouth to the stomach
What does the stomach produce?
Pepsin (an enzyme)
What does the pancreas do?
Produces important enzymes for chemical digestion
What happens in the small intestines, large intestines and oesophagus?
Peristalsis
What does the colon do?
Form faeces
Where is faeces stored?
Rectum
Where is faeces egested?
The anus
What organs are part of the alimentary canal?
Salivary gland
Oesophagus
Liver
Gall bladder
Stomach
Pancreas
Small intestine - Duodenum & Ilieum
Large intestine - Colon & Rectum
What are the two parts of the small intestine?
Duodenum
Illieum
What are the 2 parts of the large intestine?
Colon
Rectum
What happens in the mouth (relating to digestion)?
Mechanical digestion to break down food into smaller pieces
What is Bile?
What breaks down fat molecules into smaller pieces but doesn’t change them chemically
Is bile an enzyme?
No
What process does bile carry out?
Emulsification
What is the difference between Egestion and Excretion?
Egestion removes products that aren’t made by the body but excretion removes the body’s waste products
What does Amylase break down?
Starch
How is starch broken down?
By amylase into maltose and then by Maltase into glucose
What is the name of the process that breaks down food into smaller molecules?
Digestion
What is the process called when nutrients are moved into the blood after digestion
Absorption
What is the term for the removal of undigested waste from the body?
Egestion
Describe how food is moved through the gut.
Peristalsis moves food by the contraction and relaxation of circular and longitudinal muscles in the gut wall.
What are circular muscles in the gut responsible for during peristalsis?
Circular muscles contract to reduce the diameter of the gut.
What role do longitudinal muscles play during peristalsis?
Longitudinal muscles contract to shorten the length of the gut.
Explain how egestion differs from excretion
Egestion removes undigested food through the anus
What is mechanical digestion?
The physical breakdown of food into smaller pieces through chewing or muscular movements in the stomach.
How does saliva help digestion in the mouth?
Saliva contains enzymes like amylase to break down carbohydrates and lubricates food for easier swallowing.
What happens in the stomach to mix food with digestive enzymes?
The stomach churns food
What is the function of the digestive system?
To absorb as many food molecules as possible from a bolus of food through digestion, and then egests the faeces remaining
What substance in the stomach is used to kill bacteria in food?
Hydrochloric acid
Which enzyme helps the digestion of proteins?
Protease
What are proteins broken down into?
Amino acids
What is the function of bile in the small intestine?
To break down large starch into smaller ones, without changing their chemical formula
What enzyme is responsible for the breakdown of fats?
Lipase
What is the main function of the small intestine?
To absorb food into our bodies?
What remains of the food after it reaches the large intestine?
Undigested food
Where does the digested food pass after the large intestine?
The anus
What are the functions of the liver in the body?
Production of bile
Metabolism
Storage of vitamins
Protein and hormone production
Detoxification
What is the function of the pancreas?
To produce important enzymes for chemical digestion
What is respiration and why is it important?
Respiration is a chemical process to release energy from food. It is important is it produces the energy required for the body to function
Where is the ileum located?
In the small intestine
What is the function of the ileum?
To absorb nutrients from food molecules
