1.4.10

Digestion

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Digestion in Humans

Simply eating food is not enough. Your body must convert the large insoluble food you have taken in into small and soluble molecules that can be taken in and processed by the body.

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Digestion

  • Your digestive system is responsible for breaking down large insoluble molecules into small soluble ones.
  • Enzymes, which are biological catalysts, help chemically break down the food on its journey through the digestive system.
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The mouth and stomach

  • The mouth is responsible for mechanically breaking down the food (chewing) as well as releasing some enzymes stored in your saliva.
  • The oesophagus or gullet transports food from the mouth to the stomach.
  • The stomach churns the food (mechanical digestion again), secretes acid that can kill pathogens (e.g. harmful bacteria) and releases more enzymes.
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The intestines

  • The small intestine contains more enzymes.
    • This is also where absorption of the digested food happens.
    • When absorbed it moves into the blood system to be carried around the body.
  • The large intestine is where water absorption happens.
  • The rectum is where waste material (faeces) is stored.
  • The anus is muscular tissue that acts as the opening to the outside, when faeces leave the body.
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The role of bacteria

  • Animals (including humans) can have bacteria within our digestive system. They play key roles such as:
    • Making sure that harmful bacteria do not grow well there.
    • Making an enzyme that breaks down certain carbohydrates found in the cell wall of plants.
    • Removing or digesting some materials that may make you feel ill or unwell.

Jump to other topics

1Biology

1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs

1.2Reproduction & Variation

1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification

1.4Digestion & Nutrition

1.5Plants & Photosynthesis

1.6Biological Systems & Processes

2Chemistry

2.1Particles

2.2Chemical Reactions

2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds

2.4The Periodic Table

2.5Materials & the Earth

2.6Reactivity

2.7Energetics

2.8Properties of Materials

3Physics

3.1Energy

3.2Forces & Motion

3.3Waves

3.4Electricity & Magnetism

3.5Matter

3.6Space Physics

4Thinking Scientifically

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