Table of Contents
What energy comes from digestion?
During digestion, the chemical energy found in our food can be converted to many different forms. The chemical energy in food can be converted to another form of chemical energy when it is stored as glucose or fat. It can be converted to thermal energy because our body produces heat when digesting our food.
What substances does the digestive system produce?
Production of Digestive Juices Saliva produced by these glands contains an enzyme that begins to digest the starch from food into smaller molecules. The next set of digestive glands is in the stomach lining. They produce stomach acid and an enzyme that digests protein.
What is the main source of energy in the digestive system?
Nutrients of Human Metabolism The major absorbed end products of food digestion are monosaccharides, mainly glucose (from carbohydrates); monoacylglycerol and long-chain fatty acids (from lipids); and small peptides and amino acids (from protein). Once in the bloodstream, different cells can metabolize these nutrients.
What does the digestive system provide cells in order to produce energy?
We need food to fuel our bodies for energy, growth and repair. The digestive system converts the foods we eat into their simplest forms, like glucose (sugars), amino acids (that make up protein) or fatty acids (that make up fats).
What are digestive juices?
Gastric juice is a variable mixture of water, hydrochloric acid, electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphate, sulfate, and bicarbonate), and organic substances (mucus, pepsins, and protein). This juice is highly acidic because of its hydrochloric acid content, and it is rich in enzymes.
How do cells get the energy they need?
How do cells acquire energy? By breaking down high energy molecules in or food. For example: when we eat carbohydrates: Digestion breaks these complex sugars down to glucose.
How is chemical digestion different from physical digestion?
It involves the physical breakdown of food but does not alter its chemical makeup. Chemical digestion, on the other hand, is a complex process that reduces food into its chemical building blocks, which are then absorbed to nourish the cells of the body (Figure 1).
Where does chemical digestion take place in the small intestine?
Chemical digestion in the small intestine is continued by pancreatic enzymes, including chymotrypsin and trypsin, each of which act on specific bonds in amino acid sequences. At the same time, the cells of the brush border secrete enzymes such as aminopeptidase and dipeptidase, which further break down peptide chains.
How are substances passed through the intestinal mucosa?
Moreover, substances cannot pass between the epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa because these cells are bound together by tight junctions. Thus, substances can only enter blood capillaries by passing through the apical surfaces of epithelial cells and into the interstitial fluid.