WHY DO WE NEED FOOD?

The main nutrients that the body needs are:

 carbohydrates for energy
 proteins for growth and repair
 fats to store energy
 vitamins and minerals to
keep the body healthy.

The amount of each food type needed is related to the

proportions in the food pyramid.

Which food type does the body need the most of?

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What is a balanced diet?

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What is digestion?
The body carries out digestion of food to convert large
insoluble food molecules into smaller soluble ones.

carbohydrate
molecule
fat
protein molecule
molecule

Large food molecules cannot pass through the walls of

the small intestine.

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DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: Introduction

Digestion – the mechanical and chemical breakdown

of foods and the absorption of the resulting nutrients
by the cell.
 Mechanical Digestion – breaking down of large
pieces of food into smaller ones without altering the
chemical composition
 Chemical Digestion – breaking down of larger
nutrient molecules into smaller ones

The digestive system consists of:

 alimentary canal (mouth to the anus)
 accessory organs (secrete substances)

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DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: Introduction

The ALIMENTARY The ACCESORY

CANAL: ORGANS:
 mouth  Salivary glands
 pharynx  Liver
 esophagus  Gallbladder
 stomach
 small intestine
 large intestine
 rectum and anus

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DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: Introduction

The process of digestion consists of the

following processes:
 ingesting food (ingestion)
 breaking down food into smaller molecules
that can be transported (mastication)
 absorbing nutrient molecules (absorption)
 eliminating indigestible materials
(elimination)

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Digestive enzymes
How do digestive enzymes help the process of digestion?

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Different types of digestive enzymes
DIGESTIVE ENZYMES – chemicals that break large
insoluble food molecules into smaller soluble molecules.

Digestive enzymes are classified by the type of food that

they affect; there are three main types:

 carbohydrase – breaks
carbohydrate into smaller
sugars
 protease – breaks protein
into amino acids
 lipase – breaks fat into
fatty acids and glycerol.

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How do enzymes work?

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Carbohydrate digestion
Carbohydrates are chains of identical sugar molecules.
The digestive enzyme called carbohydrase breaks the
chemical bonds between the individual sugar molecules
in each carbohydrate chain.

carbohydrase

long carbohydrate sugar molecules

molecule
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Protein digestion
Proteins are made up of amino acids. There are over 20
different types of amino acids.
Proteins are digested by digestive enzymes called proteases.
These enzymes work in an acidic environment to break
proteins into smaller amino acids.

protease

long protein molecule amino acid molecules

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Which enzyme?

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The ORAL CAVITY

In humans, the digestive system begins with the mouth,

which chews food into pieces, beginning the process of
mechanical digestion.

Parts and Functions of the MOUTH

The teeth (dentition) reflects the diet:
 sharp, chisel-shaped incisors
 pointed canines used for tearing
food
 the premolars and molars grind
and crush food

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The Digestive Tract

In humans, the digestive system begins with the mouth,

which chews food into pieces, beginning the process of
mechanical digestion.
Parts and Functions of the MOUTH
Papillae – rough projections on the
tongue surface which provides friction
to help move the food

Types of Papillae:
 filiform papillae
 fungiform papillae
 foliate papillae

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The ORAL CAVITY

In the mouth, three pairs of salivary glands send saliva by

way of ducts to the mouth, to begin the process of
chemical digestion.

 salivary amylase – breaks down

starch, a carbohydrate, to
maltose
 food is manipulated by the
muscular tongue (mechanical
digestion), mixing the chewed
food with saliva (chemical
digestion) and then forming this
mixture into a mass called a
bolus

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Structure of Pharynx

Pharynx – connects the nasal

and oral cavities with the larynx
and esophagus

Three Parts:
1. Nasopharynx – passageway
for air during breathing
2. Oropharynx – passageway
for food moving downward and
for air moving to and from
nasal cavity
3. Laryngopharynx –
passageway to the esophagus

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Swallowing Mechanism

Three Stages:
1. Food is chewed and mixed with saliva (bolus), and forced into
the oropharynx
2. Food is forced into the esophagus by pharyngeal muscles
3. *Peristalsis transports the food into the stomach

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The SWALLOWING MECHANISM

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The Esophagus

Esophagus – a straight,
collapsible tube about 25
centimeters long; food
passageway from the pharynx
to the stomach

Opening to the Stomach:

Cardiac Sphincter – closes the
entrance to the stomach, preventing
the stomach contents from rushing
back to the esophagus

*Sphincters - a ring of muscle that

contracts to close an opening

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The STOMACH

Stomach – a J-shaped, pouch-like

organ consist of thick folds
(rugae) that receives the food
from the esophagus and has
capacity of 1 liter
Functions:
1. Receives food from the
esophagus
2. Mixes the food with gastric
juice
3. Initiates protein digestion
4. Carries limited absorption
5. Moves food into the small
intestine
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Parts of the STOMACH

1. Cardia – small area near the

esophageal opening
2. Fundus – temporary storage
area
3. Body Region – main part of
the stomach
4. Pylorus – distal portion of the
stomach where it approaches
the small intestine

*Pyloric Sphincter – a powerful

circular muscle that controls
gastric emptying

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Parts of the STOMACH

1. Cardia – small area near the

esophageal opening
2. Fundus – temporary storage
area
3. Body Region – main part of
the stomach
4. Pylorus – distal portion of the
stomach where it approaches
the small intestine

*Pyloric Sphincter – a powerful

circular muscle that controls
gastric emptying

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GASTRIC SECRETIONS:

Pepsin – an enzyme responsible

for the digestion of nearly all types
of dietary protein

Hydrochloric Acid - causes the

activation of enzymes; activates
inactive enzyme pepsinogen to
form pepsin

PRODUCT:
Chyme – a semifluid paste of food
particles and gastric juice

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Accessory Organs

As chyme enters the duodenum, accessory organs –

the pancreas, liver, and gallbladder – add their
secretions

The Pancreatic Juice

 Pancreatic Amylase
 Pancreatic Lipase
 Trypsin,
chymotrypsin,
carboxypeptidase

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Accessory Organs

The Liver Structure

Liver – a large organ in the
body that cleans the blood
and produces bile

Functions:
1. Maintain the concentration
of blood glucose level
2. Produces bile which aids
the digestion of lipids
3. Stores glycogen, iron, and
vitamins A, D, and B12

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Accessory Organs

The Gallbladder
Gallbladder – a small
hollow organ where bile
is stored and
concentrated before it is
released into the small
intestine

Bile Salts – breaks fat molecules into smaller droplets

that are more soluble in water (emulsification)
From this, lipase can then digest fat molecules more
effectively!

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Parts and Functions of the Small Intestine

Small Intestine – receives

the chyme from the
stomach and secretions
from the pancreas, liver,
and gallbladder

Parts:
1. Duodenum
2. Jejunum
3. Ileum

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Parts and Functions of the Small Intestine

Small Intestine – receives the

chyme from the stomach and
secretions from the pancreas,
liver, and gallbladder

Function:
Villi - minute hair-like
projection of mucous membrane
which aids the absorption of
digestive products

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Parts and Functions of the Large Intestine

Large Intestine/Colon
Three Parts:
 Ascending Colon
 Traverse Colon
 Descending Colon

 Appendix – attached
to the beginning of the
ascending colon

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UNDERSTANDING WORDS

 aliment- means food

 chym- means juice
 decidu- means falling
 gastr- means stomach
 hepat- means liver
 lingu- means tongue
 peri- means around
 pyl- means gatekeeper
 vill- means hairy

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Related Issues: The GUT Microbiome
Human Oral Microbiome
 Each person has about 200
bacterial types can live in the
mouth.

 The other end of the digestive

tract houses the “distal gut
microbiome,” which includes
more than 6,800 species

 Escherichia coli (E. coli),

pictured here (6,800x), produce
vitamin K and, if present in low
numbers, will not cause
diarrhea.

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PALATINE TONSILS

PALATINE TONSILS –
common sites of infection,
and become inflamed in
tonsillitis.
1. May they block the
passageways that
interfere with breathing
and swallowing.
2. Tonsils may be
surgically removed
(tonsillectomy).

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Primary and Secondary Teeth

1. Primary teeth (deciduous

teeth) usually erupt through
the gums (gingiva) at
regular intervals between
the ages of six months and
two to four years
2. Secondary teeth
(permanent teeth) push
the primary teeth out of
their sockets; consists of
thirty-two teeth— sixteen in
each jaw

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Primary and Secondary Teeth

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Dental Caries

 Sticky foods lodge between the teeth and in the crevices of

molars.
 Microorganisms metabolize carbohydrates in the food,
producing acid by-products that destroy tooth enamel and
dentin
 The bacteria also produce sticky substances that hold them in
place.
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Growling of the Stomach

Why does your stomach “growl” when you are

hungry?

Borborygmi is the medical term for the “growl”

sound in your stomach.

 Stomach walls squeeze together in an attempt to

mix digestive juices and gases for digestion.
 If your stomach is empty, the result is the sound
of these juices bouncing off the walls of the
hollow stomach.

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Ulcers

An ulcer is an open sore in the skin or a mucous

membrane resulting from localized tissue
breakdown.

In 1982, two Australian researchers boldly suggested

that stomach infection by the bacterium Helicobacter
pylori causes gastric ulcers.

When the medical community did not believe them,

one of the researchers swallowed a solution of
some bacteria, calling it “swamp water,” to
demonstrate the effect.

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