NUTRITION IN HUMANS

DIGESTION
 DIGESTION
 It’s a process by which body breaks down food (carbohydrates,
fats and proteins) into simpler substances.
 These simpler substances can then be absorbed into your
bloodstream so your body can use them for energy, growth and
repair.
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
• The digestive system is made up of
the alimentary canal (digestive tract)
and other organs that help the body
to break down and to absorb the food
• Your digestive tract or alimentary
canal is a long, twisting tube that
starts at your mouth, and then
involves your oesophagus, stomach,
small intestine and ends at anus.
• Other organs that form part of the
digestive system are the pancreas,
liver and gallbladder.
 Digestion in Mouth
Main functions
 Ingestion
 Physical digestion
• Tongue and teeth
 Chemical digestion
• Saliva and salivary glands
 Digestion In Mouth

 Two types of digestion take place in mouth

Physical digestion and chemical digestion
Physical Digestion takes place with the help of teeth & tongue
 chewing action of the teeth (also known as mastication)
breaks down the large pieces of food into smaller
pieces.
 This increases the surface area for the faster action of
the enzyme.
 The tongue mixes the food particles with the saliva .
Chemical Digestion

Chemical digestion takes place with help of salivary glands

Salivary glands (present on upper and lower parts of the mouth )
secrete saliva .
Saliva (pH 7)contains mucus and enzyme amylase .
Mucus lubricates the food, makes it soft so that it can be easily swallowed.
Amylase acts on the starch(polysaccharide) and breaks it down to maltose
( disaccharide). Amylase works at neutral pH.
The tongue pushes the semi solid food called bolus towards the pharynx into
the oesophagus when swallowing.
 Mechanism of swallowing

• Food is pushed into the pharynx by the tongue

• Tongue blocks the mouth
• Larynx rises (moves up) and the epiglottis (a flap of tissue)
moves downward so that larynx is covered by epiglottis,
the opening of the trachea is closed so that no food
particles can enter the trachea (windpipe)
Peristalsis
Food is moved through the digestive system by a process called peristalsis.
Two sets of muscles in the gut wall are involved:

Circular muscles - which reduce the diameter of

the gut when they contract
Longitudinal muscles - which reduce the length of
the gut when they contract
How does peristalsis take place?
The muscles work together to produce wave-like contractions. These
have a ‘squeezing action’ that pushes the bolus through the gut.

Three images of the oesophagus

showing food traveling through by
peristalsis.
Circular muscles above the food contract
causing a peristaltic wave.
Circular muscles surrounding the food
are relaxed.
Peristalsis continues to move food
through the small intestine and the large
intestine
Summary of The Topic Peristalsis
 Peristalsis

It is the ALTERNATE contraction and relaxation of the

circular and longitudinal muscles causing bolus to be
pushed down and also at the same time to be physically
digested.
Muscles are actually working antagonistically (that is, when
one set of muscles relaxes the other set contracts - for
example when the circular muscles relax, the longitudinal
muscles contract). Now, it should be understood that
without ALTERNATE in your definition, the meaning could
be misleading. It can be assumed that both set of muscles
are actually contracting or relaxing at the same time.
ROLE of PERISTALSIS.
• To move bolus down along the alimentary canal .
• The second function is to break the bolus down into smaller pieces
without changing them chemically (this is a kind of PHYSICAL digestion).
Digestion in Stomach
Stomach
 J – shaped muscular sac
 It has inner fold that increases the surface
area
 Both mechanical and chemical digestion
take place in the stomach
 Mechanical /Physical Digestion:
Muscular contractions (peristalsis) in the
stomach wall churns and breaks down the
bolus into smaller pieces
 Chemical Digestion In Stomach
• When the food enters the stomach ,gastric glands present in
the walls of the stomach secrete gastric juice in the stomach .
• Gastric juice contains
dilute hydrochloric acid HCl (pH2)
mucus
Pepsin (protease)
 Chemical Digestion in Stomach

• Pepsin : The enzyme pepsin breaks down proteins to polypeptides in the

presence of HCl.
• Mucus:
mucus lubricates the food and
protects the walls of the stomach from HCl.
• Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) :
Kills the harmful microorganisms in the food
Stops the action of salivary amylase by denaturing amylase.
Provides an acidic medium for the action of enzyme Pepsin.
Digestion in Stomach

 The food stays in the stomach

normally for three to four hours.
 As a result of mechanical and
chemical digestion the food is
converted into a liquid called
chyme.
 Chyme passes in small amounts
into the small intestine when the
pyloric sphincter (muscles) relaxes
and opens.