Term | Definition |
Nutrients | Carbohydrates, Proteins, Lipids, Vitamins, Minerals, Water |
Mechanical Digestion | The process of mashing and grinding food |
Chemical Digestion | The process of using enzymes to break down food |
Hydrolysis | A chemical reaction where something reacts with water and is changed into a new substance |
Ingestion | First stage of digestion...consume food |
Digestion | The breakdown of food into smaller particles called nutrients that can enter cells |
Absorption | Third stage of digestion...nutrients diffuse into blood and cells |
Egestion | Fourth stage of digestion...elimination of solid wastes |
Mouth | This is where digestion starts...site of mechanical digestion |
Salivary Amylase | Enzymes present in the mouth that break down starches into disaccharides |
Pharynx | Back of the throat |
Epiglottis | This flap of tissue that closes to prevent food from passing into the trachea |
Esophagous | Site of peristalsis |
Peristalsis | Strong muscular contractions that push food along |
Stomach | Site of both chemical and mechanical digestion |
Hydrochloric Acid | I am present in the stomach to aid in the chemical digestion process |
Sphincters | "Trap doors" that regulate the passage of food into and out of the stomach |
Pepsin | Digestive enzyme in the stomach that catalyzes the breakdown of proteins to peptides |
Chyme | Liquid leaving the stomach |
Liver | I make bile and act as an emulsifier to break down fat into tiny droplets |
Bile | Fluid secreted by the liver that aids in digestion |
Gall Bladder | I store bile |
Insulin | I lower blood sugar levels |
Glucagen | I raise blood sugar levels |
Sodium Bicarbonate | I am made in the pancreas and neutralize chyme entering the small intestines |
Pancreatic Amylase | I am an enzyme found in the pancreas |
Trypsin | Enzyme produced in the pancreas and aids digestion in the small intestines...hydrolyzes proteins to smaller polypeptides |
Lipase | Enzyme produced in the pancreas and aids digestion in the small intestines...hydrolyzes fats into fatty acids and glycerol |
Small Intestines | Final site of chemical digestion |
Villi | Tiny finger-like projections that line the small intestines...site of nutrient absorption |
Maltase, Sucrase, Lactase | Enzymes found in the intestines which break down disaccharides into monosaccharides |
Peptidase | Any enzyme that acts a s a catalyst in the splitting of a peptide into an amino acid |
Large Intestines (colon) | I remove water from undigested food to form feces |
Rectum | Stores feces |
Anus | Exit for feces |
Emulsification | The breakdown of large fats into tiny fat droplets to provide a larger surface area for lipase to act. |
Pancreas | Organ located in the abdomen. It plays an essential role in converting the food we eat into fuel for the body's cells. |