Digestion Flashcards

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1
Q

What is digestion

A

The breaking down of ingested food into useable nutrient molecules that can enter the vascular (within our blood) or lymphatic systems (within lymph)

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2
Q

What does the digestive system consist of?

A
  • Gasterointestinal tract (GI)

- The accessory digestive organs

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3
Q

What is the gastrointestinal tract?

A

a tube from mouth to anus that breaks down the food and absorbs it.- breaks down proteins to a.a etc.

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4
Q

What are the accessory digestive organs?

A

Teeth (breaks food), tongue, liver, pancreas

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5
Q

What is the purpose of the accessory digestive organs?

A

help breakdown by mechanical( churning) or chemical means (HCL in stomach)

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6
Q

another term for GI TRACT?

A

Alimentary canal

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7
Q

What does the liver do?

A

produce bile salts- which are essential for the breaking down of lipids

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8
Q

What does the pancreas do?

A

through exocrine secretion,

-Panceratic enzymes are secreted into the digestive tract to help break down

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9
Q

What does the digestive process consist of?

A
  • Ingestion
  • Propulsion- smooth muscle contraction which send food particles down tube
  • Mechanical breakdown- with teeth and churning in stomach
  • Digestion- enzymes breaking food molecules
  • Absorption
  • Defecation- faeces
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10
Q

What is the summary of digestion of 3 main foodstuffs?

A

Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats

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11
Q

What are carbohydrates structures?

A

-Either monosaccharides (e.g glucose), disaccharides (e.g. lactose) or polysaccharides (glycogen, starch)

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12
Q

What needs to happen to the disaccharides and polysaccharides before they can get absorbed?

A

need to be broken down into monosaccharides to be absorbed by the epithelial cells that line our small intestines.

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13
Q

How does the digestion of carbohydrates occur?

A
  • Starts digestion in mouth
  • Amylase from the salivary glands begins the breakdown of starch in the mouth, forming shorter oligosaccharides.
  • This process is completed by amylase from the pancreas.
  • These shorter chain sugar molecules are then converted to monosaccharides by the brush border enzymes in the small intestine, where they are absorbed.
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14
Q

What enzyme do you have in the small intestine?

A

pancreatic amylase

-releases more amylase so carbohydrates can be broken down more into smaller units.

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15
Q

What happens to remaining dissachardies that haven’t broken down?

A
  • Epithelial cells that line the small intestine have enzymes embedded on their [l;asma membrane (integral proteins).
  • Can break down into monosaccharides
  • referred to brush border enzymes
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16
Q

How are the monosaccharides absorbed?

A
  • easily via across brush border cell layer
  • from lumen to cells by a process of facilitated diffusion or active transport
  • Intergral proteins which acts as gates on plasma membrane
  • releasing monosaccharides into blood supply where needed
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17
Q

What are proteins?

A

chains of amino acids

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18
Q

What happens in the digestion of proteins?

A

proteins need to be converted into dipeptides or single amino acids before they can be absorbed.

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19
Q

What is the process of breaking down proteins?

A
  • No protein breakdown in the mouth
  • Start the digestion in the stomach
  • pepsin enzymes (HCL + pepsinogen) in the stomach breaks proteins into polypeptides and free amino acids.
  • Pancreatic enzymes continue this breakdown
  • Which is completed by brush border enzymes in the small intestine.
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20
Q

What happens when proteins are remaining?

A

they break down in the small intestine

  • Enzymes on the brush border cells (integral proteins in the plasma membrane of the brush border)
  • Absorbed pass the cell.
  • enter blood supply
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21
Q

What are fats?

A

-most ingested fats are triglycerides that need to be broken down into monoglycerides and fatty acids.

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22
Q

How are fats digested?

A
  • There is limited digestion of the fats in the mouth and stomach
  • As fat is not solute in water would form big globules in water that could not be digested by enzymes
  • therefore it is emulsified (broken into smaller bits) by bile salts
  • bile salt emulsifies lipids- allow easier access to enzymes to the thiglycerides to break them down,
  • These small fat spheres are split into monoglycerides and fatty acids by pancreatic lipase, which form ‘micelles’ that are absorbed.
  • Fatty acids in micelles are in lymphs
  • Micelles pass through brush border cells which are then transported to your lacteal which has lymph running through it and goes through lymphatic vessels to then around the body.
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23
Q

What is a triglyceride?

A

3 fatty acids bound together to a 1 glycerol molecule.

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24
Q

What else are micelles called?

A

chylomicron

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25
Q

Why is the digestion of proteins and carbs different to fats?

A

because they are pumped through the blood into the capillaries and to the rest of the body.
Compared to fats which go through lacteal, lymphatic vessels then blood.

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26
Q

What are the micronutrients?

A
  • Vitamins

- Minerals.

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27
Q

How many essential nutrients are needed from our diet?

A

40 different as our bodies cannot synthesise them fast enough.

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28
Q

What does the body require (nutrients wise)?

A
  • even though there are 40 essential nutrients needed, our body requires 100s.
  • Therefore we can use these 40 nutrients and convert them to the many molecule types that we need
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29
Q

How does the body convert the nutrients?

A

-Liver- which is one of the main chemical factories.- as the blood from GI tract runs through the portal system in the liver.

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30
Q

How are carbohydrates mostly obtained?

A

from plant products

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31
Q

What are the 2 forms of carbs?

A

:Simple- monosaccharide and disaccharides- sugars

:Complex- polysaccharides- starch, fibre

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32
Q

What happens with the absorbed monosaccharides that are not glucose?

A

they can be converted to glucose by the liver.

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33
Q

Why is glucose important?

A
  • feeds straight into cellular metabolism

- Harness a lot of energy need for the cellular processes for glucose.

34
Q

What do you use carbohydrates in the body?

A
  • Glucose main carb used as fuel
  • Neurons and RBC are almost entirely reliant upon glucose to harness energy in ATP to use as an energy for cell function.
  • Excess glucose can be converted into glycogen or fatty acids and stored later
35
Q

what is a good store for glycogen?

A

liver

36
Q

What happens if we max out the store for glucose?

A
  • Excess glucose can be stored by converting to glycogen

- Can then store glycogen in liver

37
Q

What happens if we have excess glycogen?

A
  • convert excess glucose into fatty acids
  • They can be stored in lipid inclusions - adipocytes or fat cells
  • Store additional reservoirs
  • Keep stores of energy
38
Q

What is another function of carbohydrates apart from being broken down just to release energy?

A
  • Release monosaccharides which can be used to build other things in the body
  • An example can take in pentose sugars which are used to make new nucleic acids (in deoxyribose sugars or ribose sugar)
  • Oligosaccharides and polysaccharides can be used in a cells glycocalyx- which stick out on cells
  • Can secrete into extraceullar matrix (outside cell)- like GAGS-
39
Q

what are the dietary requirements for carbohydrates?

A
  • Inuits: low carbohydrate
  • Far East populations: high carbohydrate

-Recommend in UK is 45-65% total calorie intake is recommended

40
Q

What are the main dietary lipids?

A

triglycerides

41
Q

What are the fats you can get in lipids?

A

Saturated and non-saturated

42
Q

What are some examples of saturated fat?

A

animal products
cocounts
hydrogenated oils (trans fats) such as margarine

43
Q

What are some examples of unsaturated fats?

A

seeds
nuts
vegetable oils

44
Q

What is another category of lipid?

A

-Cholesterol

45
Q

What are the foods which are in cholesterol?

A
  • Egg yolks
  • Meats
  • Milk products
46
Q

How is cholesterol produced ?

A

liver produces 85% of cholesterol regardless of dietary intake

47
Q

What are fatty acids converted into?

A

readily converted into other fatty acids by the liver

48
Q

What are the essential fatty acids in the body needed to take in through diet?

A
  • Linoleic acid(omega 6 fatty acid)

- Linolenic acid (omega 3 fatty acid)

49
Q

what do we use lipids for in body?

A
  • fatty acids can be stored as triglycerides- by joining them
  • They can be stored in inclusions in adipocytes, in adipose tissue around the body
  • can be act as protective cushion against mechanical shock
  • thermal insulation
  • concentrated energy store
  • Phospholipids- plasma membrane of every cell, myelin sheaths
  • Use cholesterol- stabilises plasma membranes (fluid mosaic) , precursor of bile salts (digestions) and hormones (steroid)
  • Fats help your body absorb fat soluble vitamins (A, D,E,K)
50
Q

What are the dietary requirements for lipids?

A

-fats should represent 20-35% of total calorie intake

51
Q

What lipid is not required in the diet?

A

-cholestrol because our bodies can synthesises all that they need
and majority of cholesterol can be produces via liver

52
Q

What are the structure of proteins?

A

chains of amino acids

53
Q

What are the types of proteins?

A
  • complete proteins

- nutrionally incomplete proteins

54
Q

What are complete proteins?

A
  • contain all of a.a that we require to make all the proteins in the body
  • found in animal products: eggs, meat, fish, milk and soya bean
55
Q

What are nutrionally incomplete proteins?

A
  • When broken down release a.a we require but not essential a.a
  • Hence could become deficient
  • things like legumes, nuts,cereal not all protein
56
Q

What are the products with the highest quality protein?

A

animal product: those with the optimal ratio of all essential amino acids for humans.

57
Q

What are the uses of protein in the body?

A
  • Important structural materials of the body such as keratin (skin), collagen and elastin (connective tissue), muscle proteins
  • Function protein- enzyme, hormones
  • Growth hormone preserves protein mass in adults,

-glucocorticoids enhance protein breakdown and conversion to glucose.

58
Q

Can essential amino acids be stored?

A

No

59
Q

What is the all or none rule?

A

determines if all a.a are present when. protein is ready to be made then it can be made
-However if you don’t have one fo the a.a required to make the protein , it will not be created from your cells

60
Q

What happens to the additional amino acids ?

A
  • They are oxidised for energy or converted to carbohydrates or fats for energy storage.
  • If there is insufficient deitary intake of calories, proteins can be used for ATP production
61
Q

What are the dietary requirement for proteins?

A
  1. 8 per kg of body weight

- Supply of essential a.a which can also be converted into non essential amino acids by your body.

62
Q

What is the requirement of minerals in our bodies?

A
  • require small amount of 7 minerals

- and some trace amounts of 12 others

63
Q

What are those minerals?

A
calcium
phophorus
potassium
sulphur
sodium- blood electrolytes
chlorine- blood electrolytes
magnesium
64
Q

What are the trace amounts of minerals?

A

iron- haemoglobin
zinc- cell replication
copper - binds to enzymes
fluorine

65
Q

How much does minerals make of body?

A

4% of total body mass

3% is calcium and phosphorus as bone salts

66
Q

what is the purpose of the minerals ?

A
  • Not fuel sources
  • work with other nutrient to improve function e.g incorporating mineral calcium, phosphorous and magnesium into bone and teeth to make them stronger.
67
Q

How are minerals found?

A

ionised in body fluids

-bound to phospholipids, hormones or proteins

68
Q

Where foods are mineral found in?

A
  • legumes
    -veg
    -milk
    meats
69
Q

What are vitamins?

A

organic compounds needed in minute amount for healthy growth and repair

70
Q

What is the purpose of vitamins?

A
  • Not energy source
    -Essential in using lipids, proteins and carbs from our diet thought
    -
71
Q

What are the function of vitamins?

A

-as Co-Enzymes

72
Q

What are co-enzymes as vitamins?

A
  • they will bind to a protein complex and facilities the function of the protein for further celluar processes
  • example - B vitamins are coenzymes in the process of glucose oxidation for energy tranfer to ATP.
73
Q

How are most vitamins received?

A

ingested- except for vitamin D as it can be synthesised by the skin and small amounts of B and K vitamins which synthesised by intestinal bacteria and can be absorbed
- ingest beta carotene (provitamin) can be converted to vit A.

74
Q

Where are vitamins found?>

A

in all food groups

75
Q

What are the 2 types of vitamins?

A

water or fat soluble

76
Q

What are the water soluble ones?

A

B vitamins and C- taken up with water from GI tract- the exception in vitamins b12 which binds intrinsic factor (a glycoprotein)
-Excess is excepted in urine 1 hr after ingested- (as excess can’t be stored)

77
Q

What are the fat soluble vitamins?

A
  • Can be stored
  • Vitamins A,D,E,k- absorbed with lipids from GI tract- need lipids in diet to absorb these vitamins
  • Except vit K (can’t be stored)
  • Over consumption can be toxic.
78
Q

What do the vitamins act as?

A

antioxidants

79
Q

What do antioxidants do?

A
  • Metabolism uses oxygens
  • free radical are formed as byproduct
  • they are reactive molecules due to the unpaired electron which have the ability to rip apart other molecules.- this can cause tissue damage.

-Vitamins A,C,E are good antioxidants , along with mineral selenium as they react with the free radical and neutralises them.

80
Q

What else can act as antioxidants (eye)?

A

Lutein and zeaxanthin

-Accumulate and concentrate around fovea in your retina

81
Q

How do you get these antioxidants in the eye?

A

taken through diet

so can form yellow spot in fovea to have protection .

82
Q

what do macular pigment do?

A

absorb