Gastrointestinal Flashcards
What are 3 macronutrients?
Carbs, Proteins, Fats
What are macronutrients used for by our cells?
- To make ATP (energy)
- To make new cell parts
- To maintain cellular function
What are the 2 types of digestion that food undergoes in the Gastrointestinal tract (GIT)?
Physical & Chemical
What is physical digestion?
Breaks food down into smaller pieces by chewing food and in the stomach by mixing (propulsion and retropulsion)
What is chemical digestion?
Uses chemicals such as digestive enzymes to breakdown foods so easily absorbed into blood
What are digestive enzymes?
Proteins that break down bonds into smaller building blocks
What are the 6 main parts of the GIT?
Mouth, Oesophagus, Stomach, Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Rectum & Anus
How does food move through the GIT?
Peristalsis
What are the 4 main GIT accessory organs?
Salivary glands, Liver, Gall bladder, Pancreas
What is Peristalsis?
Waves of smooth muscle contractions that move food through GIT
What prevents food from going the wrong way? How?
Sphincters - Controls entry into next sections of the tract, prevents backward movement.
What is the roll of the stomach in digestion?
Storage of food, Physically breaking down food, Chemically digesting proteins
What is the roll of the small intestine?
completion of chemical digestion, absorption of 90% of nutrients
What is the roll of the large intestine?
Absorption of vitamins and water, forms and stores faeces
Why is the gut microbiome important?
- helps digest food
- defends harmful microganisims
- produces vitamins
- regulates metabolisms
- Influences gut and brain communication
How is the Gut Microbiome affected by diet and exercise?
- Diet plays a roll in what kinds of microbiota live in the colon
- The more exercise the more bacterial diversity (good health)
What parts of the GIT absorb nutrients?
Small Intestine
How does the GIT absorb carbs ?
Carbs are broken down both physically and chemically (e.g. by enzymes) into the single units glucose, fructose, and/or galactose, which are absorbed into the blood stream and transported for use as energy throughout the body
Why is sodium (Na+) important for the absorption of carbs and protein?
Sodium has a concentration gradient, Sodium electrical gradient
Where is the water absorbed in the GIT?
proximal small intestine
How does exercise affect the blood supply of the GIT?
reduced blood flow to organs, increased blood-flow to skeletal muscles
