Carbohydrates

1) Mouth Digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth, during chewing and contact with saliva. Saliva
contains salivary amylase which is an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates.
2) Stomach The stomach plays no role in digesting carbohydrates.
3) Pancreas In the pancreas, an enzyme called pancreatic amylase is released into the small intestine.
4) Small Intestine The pancreatic amylase breaks down any remaining starch into maltose. The enzymes
maltase, sucrose, and lactase are used to break down disaccharides into monosaccharides, which is then absorbed
by the small intestine into the bloodstream.
5) Liver The monosaccharides travel to the liver through the blood stream. In the liver, all the monosaccharides
are converted into glucose and is stored there. Glucose is released if the body was in need of energy. Stored
glucose is called glycogen.
6) Large Intestine Carbohydrates that are undigested are partly broken down by intestinal bacteria. Fiber,
which cannot by digested like other carbohydrates, is left is excreted with feces.

Lipids
1) Mouth Very little digestion occurs in the mouth other than triglycerides by the enzyme lingual lipase
2) Stomach The enzyme, gastric lipase, digests more triglycerides. Lipids are mixed and broken into tiny
droplets.
3) Gallbladder The gallbladder contracts due to the secretion of CCK and secretin. It also releases bile into the
small intestine.
4) Pancreas Releases lipid-digesting enzymes to small intestine.
5) Small Intestine Bile from gallbladder breaks fat into even smaller droplets. Pancreas releases enzyme to
break triglycerides into monoglycerides and breaks down dietary cholesterol esters and phospholipids. Micelles
transport lipid digestion products to the enterocytes of the small intestine for absorbtion.

Proteins
1) Mouth Proteins in food are crushed from chewing and moistened by saliva.
2) Stomach Proteins are denature by HCl and pepsin is activated to break proteins into single amino acids and
smaller polypeptides.
3) Small Intestine Proteases are secreted to digest the polypeptides into smaller units and the cells in the wall
of the small intestine complete the breakdown of polypeptides into single amino acids
4) Liver Amino acids are transported to the liver and sent to the cells as needed.