How the Digestion Process Really Works
What is the Digestion Process Really? The Digestion Process refers to the breakdown of food into smaller components that can be absorbed and sent into the bloodstream, where it will be distributed throughout the body f. This digestion or catabolism is divided into two types: Mechanical digestion of food takes place in the mouth and physically breaks up into smaller pieces. Chemical digestion occurs in the gastrointestinal tract when food is broken down into small molecules by digestive enzymes.
In mammals, the Digestion Process involves the ingestion of food through the mouth where it is chewed. The saliva present in the mouth contains amylase which starts to break down from the starch in the food. The liver and pancreas play important roles in the Digestion Process . The liver produces bile (needed for the Digestion Process ), which is carried to the small intestine by a bile conduit that can aid in the Digestion Process and the absorption of nutrients.
For example, complex carbohydrates in foods , such as those found in rice and bread, break down into simple sugars, which can be easily absorbed by the body to provide energy for various cellular functions. After passing through the small intestine , the food moves to the large intestine which absorbs the nutrients and remaining water. So now check out How the Digestion Process Really Works:
- The stomach ‘s capacity is 1.5 liters, but when we eat it stretches, so it can double in size.
- When food reaches the stomach , it is compressed every 20 seconds to mix it up. Food spends 3 to 4 hours in the stomach , and 6 to 20 hours in the large intestine , the next organ in the digestive tract.
- Gastric juice is a liquid that contains hydrochloric acid in a proportion of 1 to 4%. Sodium cyanide in contact with hydrochloric acid in gastric juice turns into hydrocyanic acid, the fastest and most lethal poison: 0.01 grams is enough to kill a person in 30 seconds.
- Peristalsis movements drive food into a digestive tract.
- If it were possible to fully extend the small intestine of an adult, it would measure about 6 meters in length. The total surface area (full of folds and villi) is 300 m2, equivalent to the size of a tennis court.
- Stress changes the type of diversity of bacteria that live in the stomach . These microbes regulate immune function, and it’s easier for your stomach to become inflamed if you’re stressed too much.
- Basically, three types of nutritive substances are obtained from food: Carbohydrates, which are oxidized when necessary or are stored as glycogen; fats, which are oxidized and stored; and proteins, which can form tissues (eg muscle), and oxidize, or participate in the synthesis of amino acids and fats. Oxidized foods produce calories, and 1 gram of carbohydrates or 1 gram of protein produces 4 grams of calories; while one gram of fat produces 9 grams of calories.