NUTRITION

Rachell Mae P. Vacal

Digestion, Absorption, & Metabolism
 WHAT IS  IS THE PROCESS
WHEREBY FOOD IS
BROKEN DOWN

DIGESTIVE INTO SMALLER

PARTS,CHEMCIALL
Y CHANGED, AND

SYSTEM? MOVED THROUGH

GASTROINTESTINA
L.
Parts of Digestive
System
 Gastro Intestinal Tract(GIT)
 Consist of body structures that participates in digestion. Digestion starts in the
mouth ends at the anus. The Gi tract secrets mucus that lubricates and protect the
mucosal tissues.
Two types of digestion:
 Mechanical Digestion
- where the part of digestion requires certain movement such as chewing, swallowing,
and peristalsis(is a rhythmical movement of the muscular walls of the tract).
 Chemical Digestion
- occur through the addition of water and resulting to the splitting or breakdown of
food molecules(smallest particles contains one or more atoms that retains all the
composition and properties of the substances).
 The Bucal /Oral cavity
◦ Digestion of food begins in the oral cavity.
Food is manufactured by teeth and
moistened by saliva secreted from the
salivary gland. Enzymes (amylase /aka
ptyalin) in the saliva begin to digest
starches and fats. With help of the tongue,
the resulting bolus is moved into the
esophagus by swallowing.
Esophagus
◦ is that you have a long, thin, and muscular tube that connects the pharynx(throat) to the
stomach.
◦ It forms an important piece of the gastrointestinal tract and functions as the channel for food
and liquids that have been swallowed into the pharynx to reach the stomach. Once food has
entered the esophagus, it doesn't just drop right into your stomach. Instead, muscles in the
walls of the esophagus move in a burly way to slowly squeeze the food through the esophagus
by means of peristalsis and gravity. At the lower end of the esophagus, cardiac sphincter opens
to allow the passage of the bolus into the stomach. This takes about 2 or 3 seconds.
Basic Functions of Digestive System
 Digestion in the Stomach
◦ Stomach consist of the upper portion known as fundus, the middle area
known as the body of stomach and the end nearest the small intestine is
called pylorus. The food enters the fundus and moves to the body of the
stomach where the muscle of the stomach wall gradually knead the
food, tear, mix it with gastric juices and push forward slowly. The food
becomes semi solid mass called chyme (food mass mixed with gastric
juice). When chyme enters the pylorus, it causes distention and release
of the hormone gastrin which increases the release of gastric juices.
Gastric juices are digestive secretions of the stomach which contain of
hydrochloric acid, pepsin, and mucus. Hydrochloric acid
activates the enzyme pepsin, and prepares protein molecules for
partial digestion by pepsin, destroys most bacteria in the food you
have ingested, and make iron and calcium more soluble. The main
functions of the stomach are: temporary storage of food, Mixing of
food with gastric juices, regulation of slow, controlled emptying of
food into the intestine, secretion of the intrinsic factor for Vitamin B
12 .
Small Intestine
 Digestion in Small Intestine
Chyme moves through the pyloric sphincter into the duodenum the
first section of small intestine, then passes to the jejunum the mid-
section, going to the ileum, the last section of small intestine. When the
food reaches the small intestine, the hormone secretin causes the
pancreas to release sodium bicarbonate to neutralize acidity of the
chyme. Gall bladder is triggered by the hormone cholecystokinin
(CCK), which produced by intestinal mucosal glands when fats enters,
to release the bile. Bile is produced in the liver but stored in the
gallbladder. Bile emulsifies fat after it is secreted into the small
intestine. Bile help to digest the fats.
The chyme also triggers the pancreas to secrete its juice into the
small intestine. Juice secreted from the pancreas contains the
following: Pancreatic proteases – (Trypsin, chymotrypsin,
& carboxypeptidases) - protein splitting enzymes, Pancreatic
amylase convert starch (polysaccharides) to simple sugar,
pancreatic lipase – reduces fats to fatty acids and glycerol.
Small intestine itself produces an intestinal juice that contains the
enzymes lactase, maltase, and sucrase. The small intestine
produces enzymes called peptidases that break done the protein
into amino acids.
Large Intestine
consists of the cecum, colon, and rectum. The cecum is a blind pocket where the digested food
passes into and enters the ascending colon then moves to descending colon, the sigmoid colon,
rectum and lastly to the anus.
Absorption

◦ is the uptake of nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract into the blood. In order to be
absorbed, certain nutrients need to be broken down (digested) into smaller nutrients, for
example, proteins into amino acids, starch into glucose and fats into fatty acids.
Absorption in the Small Intestine
◦ is the process by which digested food passes through the blood vessels in the wall of
intestine. The inner wall of small intestine has finger like projections called villi which
increases the surface area for absorption of food.
Absorption of the Large Intestine
◦ Once the chyme reaches the large intestine most digestion and absorption have
already occurred. The colon wall secretes mucus as a protection from the acidic digestive
juices in the chyme, which is coming from the small intestine.
◦ The major function of large intestine is to absorb water, to synthesize some B vitamins, and
vitamin K (essential for blood clotting), and to collect food residue.
Metabolism
◦ is the use of the food by the body after digestion and absorption which results in Energy.
There are two process of metabolism:
Aerobic metabolism is combining nutrients with oxygen within each cell. This process is
oxidation which finally reduces carbohydrates to carbon dioxide and water. Protein reduces to
carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen.
Anaerobic metabolism reduces fats without the use of oxygen. The complete oxidation of
carbohydrate, protein, and fats is called the Krebs cycle.
Metabolism and the Thyroid Gland
◦ Thyroid gland plays important role in metabolism. It is an endocrine gland in
your neck and it makes two hormones that are secreted into the blood:
thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones are necessary for
all the cells in your body to work normally. When the thyroid gland produces
too much of these hormones the person will develop
hyperthyroidism.Opposite on this is secretes too little amount of T 3 and T 4
is called hypothyroidism in which the body metabolizes food too slow and the
patient tend to become inactive and accumulate fat.
Thyroid Gland
◦ produces hormones that regulate the body's metabolic rate controlling
heart, muscle and digestive function, brain development and bone
maintenance. Its correct functioning depends on a good supply of iodine from
the diet.