Digestive system Flashcards
What is assimilation?
The movement of digested food molecules into the cells of the body where they are used so they become part of these cells.
What happens to the excess glucose?
Transported to the liver
What is the excess glucose converted into?
Glucogen
What is glucose also used for?
Respiration
What happens to toxins in the liver?
Broken down
What are the three adaptions of the villi?
Microvilli
Network of capillaries which reduce the distance nutrients have to travel
Has lacteal which transports the products of fat.
What are the two types of digestion?
Chemical and mechanical digestion
What type of digestion uses enzymes to break down the food?
Chemical
What type of digestion physically breaks up food into smaller pieces?
Mechanical
What do protease break down?
proteins
What do Lipase break down?
Fats
What do amylases break down?
Carbohydrates
What do lactase break down?
Dairy
What do cellulase break down?
Fibre
What is the buccal cavity?
The buccal cavity is where we put food (the mouth).
It is where food is chewed to break it down
It is also known as the oral cavity
What are the salivary glands?
Salivary glands are the glands that produce saliva which helps moisten food and make it easier to swallow
What is the epiglottis?
A flap of cartilage that covers the opening of the windpipe when swallowing food
What is the oesophagus?
Muscular tube that connects the throat and the stomach.
Food moves down the oesophagus to the stomach using peristalsis to help the food move down the pipe towards the stomach
What is the stomach?
A sac with muscular walls that churn the food inside to break it up.
What does the stomach produce and what is the role of this product?
It produces hydrochloric acid and enzymes to digest the food
What is the small intestine?
It is also known as the duodenum.
It is where chyme gets chemically altered by fluids from the liver and bile from the pancreas
What is the duodenum lined with and what are these?
The small intestine is lined with villi which are finger like extensions in the intestinal wall
What do the villi on the intestinal wall do?
Increase the surface area and help the absorption of of nutrients into the bloodstream
What is the large intestine?
The large intestine is also known as the colon.
It’s role is to process waste products in preparation for elimination from the body
What is the rectum?
Last part of the colon and links to the anus
Its role is to store faeces until they can be expelled from the body
What is the anus?
It is the opening in the body through which the faeces are expelled by the process of defecation
What controls the opening and closing of the anus?
The Anal Sphinctor
What does the liver do?
It breaks down toxins and old blood cells
It also stores vitamins and minerals
It produces many kinds of protein
Where is the liver found?
Next to and slightly behind the stomach
What is the gallbladders role?
To concentrate bile which helps with digestion
What is the bile duct?
A small tube like structure
What is the bile ducts role?
To carry bile from the liver all the way up to the duodenum where it is emptied
What is the pancreas?
A six-inch long gland that is located in your abdomen near the liver and part of the intestine
What does the pancreas do?
Secretes insulin and glucagon
This is vital in controlling your blood sugar levels
What is the role of the pancreatic duct?
Carries enzymes from the pancreas to the small intestine
Where does the pancreatic duct unite with the bile duct?
Just before the opening into the small intestine
What does chewing food do?
Breaks it up so it’s small enough to swallow.
Where does the gallbladder sit?
Just under the liver
What is coeliac disease?
It is an autoimmune disease
What is an autoimmune disease?
A disease that makes the body attack itself due to making it think that it is a pathogen
What are the causes of coeliac disease?
Runs in families, genetic mutations, gluten in a baby’s diet before 6 months
What type of disease is coeliac disease and what does this mean?
Auto-immune which means that the body mistakes a part of itself to be dangerous making it attack itself
What does the immune system mistake as being dangerous for someone with Coeliac disease?
Gliadin which is a substance found in gluten
What does the attack on gliadin cause?
Damage to the small intestine
What antibodies produced by the immune system cause to happen?
surface of the intestine becomes inflamed, villi are flattened, meaning the body cannot absorb as many nutrients (because the surface area of the small intestine has been reduced).
What are the symptoms of coeliac disease? (get at least 5)
Indigestion, Stomach pain, Bloating, Flatulence, Diarrhoea or constipation, Anaemia and Loss of appetite. Feeling tired all the time as a result of malnutrition Children not growing at the expected rate and adults experiencing unexpected weight loss.
What are the symptoms of IBS? (Try and remember at least 4)
Stomach pain and cramping Changes to bowel habits Bloating and swelling of the stomach Excessive wind AKA flatulence Sudden need to go to the toilet Feeling as though the bowels haven't fully emptied after going to the toilet Mucus passing from the anus
What is the biological explanation of IBS?
A patient with IBS has food that moves
through the digestive system either
too slowly or too quickly.
Problems with the absorption of bile
during the digestive process may be a cause of IBS in some cases
What happens if food moves through the digestive system too slowly?
It causes constipation because too much water is absorbed by the small intestine causing the faeces to be hard
What happens if food moves through the digestive system too quickly?
It causes diarrhoea because not enough water is being absorbed by the small intestine
What is the cause of IBS?
One of the causes is believed to be linked to increased sensitivity of the gut to certain foods.
Another cause is problems digesting food
Finally symptoms are triggered by eating certain foods or drinks
What are the symptoms of gallstones?
Abdominal pain Excessive sweating Vomitting Feeling sick Jaundice Itchy skin Diarrhoea Loss of apetite
What is the biological explanation of gallstones
Galstones can form if there are unusually high levels of cholestrol in the gall bladder or unusually high levels of waste product known as bilirubin in the gallbladder
What do the chemical imbalances that are part of the cause of IBS grow into and how big are they?
Tiny crystals develop in the bile which can gradually grow into tiny pebbles ranging in size from a tiny grain of sand to a pebble
What are the causes of IBS?
Caused by an imbalance of chemical make-up of bile in the gallbladder
What makes IBS more likely?
Overweight Obese Over 40 years old Has a condition that affects the flow of bile Has a family member with the condition
