Nutrition in Humans

Sites for food digestion

mouth cavity

stomach
duodenum

ileum
 Types of
Digestion
Mechanical Chemical
Mechanical
digestion
bread

Increases the surface area

for chemical digestion
 Digestion in mouth cavity

Mechanical Chemical
Bread
2 Saliva
Mastication Teeth
contains
1 Starch + H2O

Saliva Bolus Amylase

3
Increase the S.A.
for chemical digestion
+ Saliva Maltose
 Saliva
Amylase Water
Starch Maltose Lubricates the food, so Moistens dry food
it can be swallowed
easily
 Swallowing

Nasal cavity

Soft palate
bolu
s

Epiglottis

Trachea Oesophagus
 Position of different structures
during swallowing

2
Soft palate is
raised prevent food
from going up
3 Trachea is
closed by
epiglottis
1 Tongue is
raised Bolus enters
4 oesophagus
 Peristalsis

Wave action

Circular muscle
contracts
X
Longitudinal muscle
Circular muscle
These two muscles contract
& relax alternately
Digestion in stomach

Closed during
physical digestion

Circular muscle

Longitudinal muscle

Closed during
physical digestion
The churning movement of the stomach

sphincters
open
 Digestion in
stomach

Mechanical Chemical
Feature Adaptation Feature Adaptation

Food is 1. Protease Protein Peptides

Strong muscle
contraction churned up
to form
chyme
to increase

surface area
for enzyme
to act on
 Wall of Stomach

Mucus-secreting gland Gastric gland

Feature Adaptation Feature Adaptation

• Protects the wall 1. Protease

Mucus Protein Peptides

2. Acid * Provides an acidic

from being medium for enzymes
• Lubrication
digested
* Kills germs
Digestion in Duodenum

2
Digestion in Duodenum
Bile
contains Pancreatic juice
three juices Intestinal juice
from
gall bladder

Bile
from
pancreas
Duodenum
Pancreatic juice

Intestinal juice
Ileum
 Liver, bile and gall bladder
Bile which is stored
in the gall bladder
Produces

Liver the bile is then

discharged into
the duodenum

Gall
bladder
 Bile Composition

Bile salt Bile pigment

(green in colour)
emulsified
NaHCO3
Oil Oil
Products of
droplets
Increase S.A. for latter chemical digestion breakdown of
haemoglobins
Emulsification No enzyme in bile
Mechanical digestion Bile is an alkaline fluid
 Pancreas
The pancreatic juice Pancreatic
is discharged into the
juice
duodenum

Produces

Pancreas
 Pancreatic
Composition juice

Pancreatic Protease Lipase NaHCO3

amylase

Protein Peptides Fatty

Starch Oil droplets
Maltose acids
Peptides Amino acids
+
Glycerol

Pancreatic juice is an alkaline fluid

3 Duodenum Ileum
4

from
gall bladder
intestine

from
pancreas

Duodenum
small

Intestinal juice
Ileum
 3 Duodenum 4 Ileum

Intestinal
Composition
juice
Intestinal Intestinal
protease carbohydrases
Peptides Amino acids
Disaccharides Monosaccharides

Maltose Glucose
 which neutralises
the acid in chyme
Bile 1
Contains
Pancreatic hydrogencarbonate
juice
2
Intestinal which provides an
alkaline medium for
juice the enzymes
Summary

Starch
Salivary Gland
Amylase
Pancreas
Maltose
Intestinal
Carbohydrase Gland
Glucose
 Protein
Gastric Gland
Proteases
Pancreas
Peptides
Pancreas
Proteases
Intestinal Gland
Amino Acids
 Oil

Bile salt Liver

Oil droplets

Lipase Pancreas

Fatty Acids
+
Glycerol
Summary

Process Structure involved

Mechanical Chewing :Large food By

Digestion teeth
is broken into
smaller pieces
ChurningLarge
: food By
is broken into strong muscle

smaller pieces
By
Oil
Emulsification :is broken bile salt
into oil droplets
Chemical By
Digestion enzymes
All digested Large intestine
food will be
absorbed in
the small
intestine

Undigested
remains
 Large intestine
3
No function in human Colon
But in herbivores,
Reduced in size caecum & appendix
are longer.
2 They play an 4
Caecum important roleRectum
in
1
digestion of cellulose.
Appendix
Digestion – completed in small intestine
Before digestion After digestion

Protein Amino Acids

Fat Fatty Acids & glycerol

Starch Glucose

Absorption
 Absorption

1. Stomach e.g. water, alcohol

2. Ileum (most important site for food

absorption)
Absorption in ileum

Wall of ileum

ileum
Absorption in ileum

Wall of ileum
Finger-like structure called

villus
Villus / villi
Increases
the surface
area for
absorption

Finger-like structure called

villus
 Villus

1 Epithelium
2 Blood
capillaries

3 Lacteal
 Villus

1 Epithelium (very thin)

Digested is one-cell
food thick
shorten the
distance for
diffusion of
digested food
 Villus
Blood
2 capillaries

Transport the
absorbed food
Maintain a steep
conc. gradient to
enhance the rate
of diffusion
 Villus

Absorb & transport

fat molecules in
digested food

3 Lacteal
Absorption in villus
Blood capillary

Epithelial cell Lacteal

 Absorption in villus
Blood capillary

By diffusion &
active transport

Pass into the

capillaries Epithelial cell Lacteal
 100 units
ileum glucose
90 … 50 40 0

blood
vessel 0 10 … 50 60 100

Movement of Movement of
molecules from low
molecules from
conc. to high conc.
high conc. to using energy from
low conc. respiration

Diffusion Active Transport

 Absorption in villus
Blood capillary

By diffusion &
active transport 2
1

2
Enter the lacteal &
recombine to fat
molecules
Epithelial cell Lacteal
 Summary
Structural features Adaptation of ileum
Wall of ileum is highly
folded & To increase surface area for
has numerous villi food absorption

To shorten distance for

diffusion
One-cell thick epithelium
Lacteal is surrounded by a
network of blood capillaries
To transport absorbed
food
 heart
hepatic vein
cells

aorta

the
ort l
sp se
fat tran ves
to ph
Glucose, amino acids,

lym
fat etc. carried by aorta
to all tissue cells
liver

hep e um
atic il
por
tal v
ein
Assimilation - the used up of digested
food by cells

Amino acids protein

(for growth & repair)

Glucose energy source

Fat energy source

cell
 heart
hepatic vein Blood glucose = 100 units
Blood amino acid =90 units

1. Excess glucose converted aorta

to glycogen
2. Excess amino acids sel he
es tt
deaminated to form v or
h
p nsp
urea lym tra
to t
fa
liver
hep e um Excess fat molecules
atic il
por are stored around
tal v
ein internal organs & under
After a diet
the skin
Blood glucose = 200 units
Blood amino acid =120 units
 Large intestine
3
Colon

2 4
Caecum Rectum
1
Appendix 5
Anus
3
Colon
absorbs water
& minerals

but most of the

water in the gut is
absorbed in the
small intestine
3
Colon
absorbs water
If & minerals

leads to

diarrhoea
& results in dehydration &
excessive loss of ions
 Egestion
Undigested
food Removal of
Dead bacteria
semi- undigested or
unabsorbed food
Living bacteria solid
Bile pigment
faeces
Water

Dead cells from

digestive system temporarily
Secretions of stored in
the alimentary
canal 9
Rectum
 Egestion

Constipation Removal of
undigested or
unabsorbed
difficult to semi-
remove food
solid If you do not
the faeces faeces have dietary
become harder fibers
faeces stay
longer in the
excess water is which would
large intestine
absorbed stimulate
peristalsis
 Functions of liver
4. Storage of
vitamin A & D,
iron & glycogen
3. Bile
2. Deamination
secretion
6. Detoxification
1. Blood glucose
5. Production
level regulation
of heat,
plasma protein