Human digestive system (14) Flashcards
What is the function of the digestive system?
It helps to break down food into small and soluble food molecules to be absorbed into the bloodstream, providing the human body cells with nutrition
What are enzymes?
Enzymes are biological molecules that helps to break down larger food into small and soluble molecules
/ speed up the chemical digestion
1.What type of enzymes are carbohydrates digested by?
2.What are they digested into?
- what are their functions?
- Carbohydrases
- Simple sugars such as glucose
- they are used during cellular respiration to release energy.
1.What type of enzymes are proteins digested by?
2.What are they digested into?
- what are their functions?
- Proteases
- Amino acids
- they are used for growth and repair of muscles, tissues and cell parts.
1.What type of enzymes are fats digested by?
2.What are they digested into?
- what are their functions?
- Lipases
- Fatty acids AND glycerol
- they are used for synthesis of fats
- for energy storage in the body
What are some foods that contain
1.Carbohydrates
2.Protein
3.Fats
4.Dietary
( name at least 3 )
- Potatoes, noodles and rice
- Meat, tofu and eggs
- Oil, butter and avocado
- Fruits and vegetables
What is the process in the gullet
Walls of the gullet contract and relax alternatively to move food down.
What is the
1. physical digestion
2. chemical digestion
in the mouth?
3. what enzymes can be found here?
- Chewing using teeth, to mash up food and soften it with saliva.
- Carbohydrases help to speed up the digestion of starch into maltose.
Maltose- form of partially digested carbohydrate.
Starch- a type of carbohydrate - Carbohydrases is secreted into saliva
What is the
1. physical digestion
2. chemical digestion
in the small intestine?
3. what enzymes can be found here?
- There is no physical digestion
- Proteases digest all proteins into amino acids
Carbohydrases digest all carbohydrates and starch into simple sugars
Lipases digest all fat into fatty acids and glycerol
What is the
1. physical digestion
2. chemical digestion
in the stomach?
3. what enzymes can be found here?
- Churning of food occurs, to mash food and soften it with stomach juice
- Proteases speed up the digestion of proteins into polypeptides ( form of partially digested proteins, NO AMINO ACIDS YET )
- Proteases are secreted into the stomach juice
How are small soluble food molecules absorbed into the body?
The small and soluble food molecules pass through the walls of the small intestine and into the surrounding blood capillaries.
Water present in undigested food is absorbed into the blood.
( small intestine and large intestine )
Besides digestion, what other functions does the stomach have?
The stomach contains hydrochloric acids that will kill bacteria and allow proteases to work at optimum (best) pH
What are diabetes?
Diabetes is a diseases where a person’s blood sugar level is too high
What causes diabetes?
Excessive intake of carbohydrates over time, leading large amounts of simple sugars absorbed into the blood when digesting carbohydrates.
This causes the body to be unable to regulate blood sugar level over time, and therefore leading to high blood sugar levels which causes diabetes.
How do you prevent diabetes?
Having a balanced diet with moderate carbohydrate intake
maintaining a healthy body mass/weight
having a regular exercise activity because body cells use up more simple sugars during respiration to release energy for physical activity.
