ABSORPTION OF DIGESTED FOOD

ABSORPTION
Is the process when the end products of digestion enters the bloodstream through the Small intestinal wall

There are many projections on the wall of the small intestines.

These projections are called

Villi.

A Villus

Human Anatomy, 3rd edition Prentice Hall, 2001

A villus.

ABSORPTION
Vitamins, minerals, glucose amino acid Enter the capillaries

ABSORPTION
Fatty acids

glycerol
Enter the lacteal (part of the lymphatic system)

ABSORPTION
The products are used in Respiration and assimilation

assimilation
Is the process where digested food molecules are changed into complex and useful molecules Example: amino acids are used to build proteins like protoplasm and enzymes.

absorption
The efficiency of absorption can be increased by: --more villi to increase surface area --villus with very thin walls, as thin as one cell