How are nutrients and

water absorbed into the

body?
What are nutrients?
Nutrients come from the food we eat, the different groups of nutrients are :

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats
• Vitamins and minerals
• Fibre
• Water

Reference for picture : Twinkl

Why do we need water?
Water makes up over 60% of our bodies.

We need water to :

• Make saliva
• Help the joints and muscles work
• To help cool the body
• Help reactions in the body and aid digestion
• Make plasma in the blood, which carries oxygen and proteins
• Protect organs

Reference for picture : https://www.tylermountainwater.com/louisville/products-services/filtration/human-body-water-60percent/

How do the nutrients get around the body?

How do nutrients get around the body?

Mouth

• Food is chewed into smaller pieces and mixed with

saliva.

• Saliva makes food easier to swallow and contains an

enzyme called amylase. Amylase breaks down starch in
food such as bread, rice and pasta into sugar.

Reference for picture : Twinkl

Oesophagus

• The oesophagus is a tube that links the mouth and the

stomach.

• The chewed food passes from the mouth down the

oesophagus to the stomach.

Reference for picture : Twinkl

Stomach

• In the stomach the chewed food is mixed with acids and

enzymes to form a smooth paste.

Reference for picture : Twinkl

Small intestine

• In the small intestine, bile is added from the liver, to help break
down fats and oils.

• Enzymes are also added from the pancreas to break down other
fats, proteins and sugars.

• As the food is squeezed along the small intestine, the nutrients and
water enter the blood, through the capillaries.

• The capillaries are found in the villi in the walls of the small
intestine.

Reference for picture : Twinkl

Large intestine

• The fibre and other undigested food passes from the

small intestine into the large intestine.

• In the large intestine, water is reabsorbed into the body.

• Waste food then passes out of the body into the toilet.

Reference for picture : Twinkl

Mini Whiteboard Question

Which organ of the digestive system absorbs most of the

nutrients and water into the body?

A – Oesophagus
B – Stomach
C – Small Intestine

Reference for picture : https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-illustrated-question-mark-formed-from-many-question-marks-32321226.html

The small intestine

• Nutrients are absorbed into the blood in the small intestine

• There are tiny hair-like villi that help this process happen

• The nutrients are carried in the blood by the circulatory system, to

the different parts of the body that need them.

Reference for picture of villi : https://stock.adobe.com/search/images?k=microvilli&asset_id=533694160

Diagrams from Twinkl
Adaptations of the Small Intestine
The small intestine is very This is because the blood capillaries are very close to the
narrow, and the digested small intestine, so the nutrients can diffuse into the blood
food moves very slowly. very quickly.

The tiny fingers and folds This allows the time for the nutrients and water to pass
(villi) provide a large surface through the wall of the small intestine into the blood in
area. the capillaries.

This is because there are more areas for the nutrients to

The small intestines have a
be absorbed into the blood from the small intestine.
rich blood supply.
Skittles & warm water - Prediction

The colour from the skittles dissolves

in the warm water and then moves to
the center of the plate.

This is diffusion.

Reference for picture : https://www.science-sparks.com/skittles-experiment/