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Digestion Review
Vocabulary for the digestive system
Term | Definition |
---|---|
mouth | Where teeth mechanically break down food and enzymes in saliva chemically break down food |
salivary glands | produces saliva that is used to moisten food and contains enzymes that turn sugar into starch |
epiglottis | a flap of tissue that covers the windpipe when you swallow preventing food from entering |
stomach | stomach muscles churn food, mechanically breaking it down, while the enzyme pepsin chemically breaks down proteins |
pancreas | produces enzymes that are sent to the small intestine to break down starches, proteins, and fats. |
liver | produces bile that is sent to the gallbladder |
gallbladder | stores bile and releases it into the small intestine |
small intestine | where almost all chemical digestion occurs and absorption of nutrient molecules takes place |
large intestine | where water is absorbed into the blood stream and remaining material is readied for excretion out of the body |
rectum | short tube at the end of the large intestine where waste material is compressed into a solid |
enzyme | proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body |
digestion | the process by which food is broken down into small nutrient molecules that are used by the body for energy |
absorption | the process by which nutrient molecules are absorbed through the walls of the digestive system into the bloodstream |
villi | tiny finger-shaped structures that cover the inner surface of the small intestine through which nutrients are absorbed |
peristalsis | involuntary waves of muscle contraction that keep food moving down toward the stomach |
Elimination | is the removal of solid waste from the body. |
Mechanical Digestion | Physically breaking down food into nutrient molecules. |
Chemical Digestion | Chemically breaking down food into nutrient molecules. |
Nutrients | Substances in food that provide the raw materials the body's cells need to carry out all their essential processes. |