nutrition in humans Flashcards
what is the definition of nutrition?
process by which organisms obtain food and energy for growth, repair and maintenance of the body
what are the processes when food enters in your body?
- Ingestion
- food is taken into the body - digestion
- large, complex, insoluble and indiffusible food molecules are broken down into smaller, simpler, soluble and diffusible food molecules - absorption and assimilation
- digested food molecules are absorbed into the cells
- the food molecules are converted into new protoplasm or used to provide energy - egestion
- undigested food is removed from the body
what is physical digestion?
- mechanical break up of good into smaller particles
- by: chewing, peristalsis, emulsification
what is chemical digestion?
- break-down of large, insoluble molecules into smaller, soluble molecules that can be absorbed
- hydrolytic reactions catalysed by digestive enzymes
what is chemical digestion?
- break-down of large, insoluble molecules into smaller, soluble molecules that can be absorbed
- hydrolytic reactions catalysed by digestive enzymes
how is the food physically digested in the mouth?
by chewing, teeth cut and grinds food into smaller pieces so as to increase surface area for salivary amylase to digest starch
how is the food chemically digested in the mouth?
- salivary glands in mouth secretes saliva, which contains salivary amylase
- starch –> (salivary amylase) –> maltose
what happens when tongue rolls food into boli?
- food goes to buccal cavity
pharynx (both food and air enter) - connects buccal cavity to oesophagus, larynx and trachea
larynx (voice-box) - has a slit opening, glottis (hole_
- when breathing, larynx moves downwards and glottis opens, allowing air to enter trachea and move into lungs
- when swallowing, larynx moves upwards and epiglottis covers glottis, preventing food particlaes from entering trachea
describe the oesophagus?
- narrow, muscular tube. Extend to stomach
- walls made up of circular and longitunal muscles
- peristalsis occurs
define peristalsis?
longitunal muscles and circular muscles contract and relax alternately to produce a rhythmic wave-like muscular contraction
describe the stomach?
- gravity pushes food bolus into stomach
- stomach is a thick, distensible muscular bag
- stomach walls has numerous gastric pits
what happens when food is physically digested in the stomach?
- peristalsis, mixes food with gastric juice and churns food into smaller pieces
what happens when food is chemically digested?
- gastric glands secrete gastric juice
what is gastric juice?
- dilute solution of hydrochloric acid, mucus and enzyme (pepsin. pH 2)
- function of HCl
- denatures salivary amylase
- converts inactive pepsinogen into active pepsin (chemical digests protein into polypeptides)
- provide acidic medium for action of pepsin
- kills harmful microorganisms in food
describe the activation of pepsin?
- enzyme pepsin is produced and released in the stomach as inactive pepsinogen
- as bolus enters the stomach, gastric glands are stimulated to produce gastric juice containing hydrochloric acid which activates pepsinogen to active pepin
pepsinogn (inactive) –> (activated by HCl) –> pepsin (active)
proteins –> pepsin digests polypeptides