Digestive System Flashcards
What is digestion?
The process by which food is broken down into small molecules to be absorbed by cells
What does digestion provide to the body?
energy
Digestion provides materials for what?
cell growth and repair
What are the two types of digestion?
mechanical and chemical
What is mechanical digestion?
When food is broken down by physical means
What is chemical digestion?
When molecules are brook down chemically
What is the alimentary canal?
the pathway by which food enters the body and is expelled…a continuous tube from the mouth to the anus
What are the accessory organs that help in digestion?
mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine
What occurs in the mouth during mechanical digestion?
chewing grinds food into smaller particles, increases the surface area, and mixes it with bolus
What is mastication?
chewing
What is good about increasing the surface area of food?
it allows for enzymes to act on the food
What is bolus?
a ball of food that has been mixed with the liquid of saliva
What is the job of the tongue?
It mixes the food
What occurs in the mouth during chemical digestion?
The salivary glands produce saliva that helps break down the starches into sugars
What are the salivary glands?
3 glands that produce saliva
What is in saliva?
the enzyme salivary amylase
What is the job of the enzyme amylase?
it helps break down starches into sugar
What do enzymes do?
They speed up reactions without being changed or used
What moistens the food in chemical digestion?
water
What makes the food easier to swallow during chemical digestion?
mucus
What occurs during swallowing?
food moves from the mouth to the esophagus
What is the job of the epiglottis?
It is a flap that covers over the opening to the trachea so food will go down the esophagus to the stomach and not the trachea to the lungs
What occurs in the esophagus?
No digestions occurs here..muscular contractions push the food ball (bolus) down
What is peristalsis?
When the muscular contractions in the esophagus push the bolus down.
What occurs in the stomach during mechanical digestion?
The churning of the muscular walls mixes the food with digestive juices…the food is changed into a thin, watery liquid
What is chyme?
A thin, watery liquid made in the stomach by the churning of the muscular walls
What occurs in the stomach during chemical digestion?
cells in the stomach produce gastric juices
What are 3 things found in gastric juices?
hydrochloric acid, pepsin, and mucus
What does hydrochloric acid do in chemical digestion?
it dissolves minerals and kills bacteria
What is pepsin?
an enzyme that begins the digestion of proteins
What does mucus do?
It lubricates food
Where does most digestion occur?
in the small intestine
What occurs in the small intestine during chemical digestion?
intestinal juices mix with substances from the pancreas and liver to continue digestion
Intestinal juices help continue the digestion of what three things?
carbohydrates, proteins, and fats
What do carbohydrates turn into?
monosaccharides
What do proteins turn into?
amino acids
What do fats turn into?
fatty acids and glycerol
What organ is the largest organ inside of the body?
the liver
What is produced in the liver?
bile
Where is bile stored?
in the gall bladder
What is the job of bile?
it emulsifies (breaks up) fat (mechanical)
What is produced in the pancreas?
pancreatic juice and insulin
What does pancreatic juice do?
it contains the enzymes for the digestion of proteins ad carbohydrates
What is the job of insulin?
it controls the use of sugar
Where in the small intestine does absorption take place?
in the villi
What are the villi?
The tiny finger-like projections
What is the job of the villi?
They increase the surface area so more food can be absorbed faster
What happens to all of the undigested substances (water and cellulose) in the small intestine?
they continue on to the large intestine
What does NOT occur in the large intestine?
digestion
What is absorbed in the large intestine?
most of the water
Bacteria in the large intestine makes what?
2 B vitamins and vitamin K
What happens to materials NOT absorbed in the large intestine?
it forms solid waste
Where is this solid waste store?
in the rectum
Solid waste leaves the body through what?
the anus
What is the main function of the salivary gland?
it releases amylase and moistens food into bolus
What is the main function of the mouth?
mastication and production of amylase
What is the main function of the esophagus?
peristalsis and NO digestion
What is defecation?
When waste is released through the anus
How does the appendix aid in digestion?
It has no digestive function at all
What is the main function of the small intestine?
absorption takes place in the bloodstream, all nutrients are absorbed
What are the main functions of the gall bladder and the liver?
emulsifies fats, biles are added to small intestine, no digestion occurs
What is the main function of the pancreas?
production of insulin and pancreatic fluid
What is the main function of the stomach?
production of hydrochloric acid, pepsin, and change is produce with mucus
How many molars do you have in the upper jaw?
6
How many premolars are found in the upper jaw?
4
How many canines are found in the upper jaw?
2
How many incisors are found in the upper jaw?
4
How many teeth total are found in the upper jaw?
16
Which teeth are found in the back of the mouth?
molars
Which teeth are found in the front of the mouth?
incisors
What are the two teeth found on either side of the incisors?
the canines
What teeth are located between the molars and the canines?
the premolars
In which organ does food spend the LEAST time?
the esophagus
What type of change occurs in the small intestine?
Only chemical
What type of change occurs in the stomach
Both chemical and physical
What type of change occurs in the mouth and salivary glands?
Both chemical and physical
Are enzymes made or found in the mouth and salivary glands?
yes
Are enzymes made or found in the stomach?
yes
Are enzymes made or found in the small intestine?
yes
Where is hydrochloric acid made?
in the stomach
What type of food is acted upon in the mouth and salivary glands?
carbohydrates
What type of food is acted upon in the stomach?
carbohydrates
What type of food is acted upon in the small intestine?
fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
What organ makes bile?
liver
What organ removes water?
large intestine
What organ stores bile?
gall bladder
What organ makes enzymes for digestion?
pancreas
Which two organs does food NOT pass through?
liver/gall bladder and pancreas
What nutrient is acted upon or digested in the liver/gall bladder?
fat
What nutrient is acted upon or digested in the pancreas?
protein
What nutrient is acted upon or digested in the small intestine?
all
What nutrient is acted upon or digested in the large intestine?
None
What nutrient is acted upon or digested in the esophagus?
none
What nutrient is acted upon or digested in the mouth and salivary glands?
carbohydrates
What is the only organ that digests food?
small intestine
What are the only organs that absorb water?
large intestine and sometimes the stomach
What is the enzyme produced in your salivary gland?
saliva
What is the chemical made by your stomach?
hydrochloric acid (HCl)
What is the chemical made by your liver?
bile
What is the job of the chemical made by your liver?
break down fat particles
What is the process by which food is absorbed into your blood vessels?
absorption
