Wednesday, December 19, 2012
I. Digestion:
is the process by which the body breaks down food into smaller parts, changes the food chemically, and moves the food through the digestive system.
There are two types of digestive action:
1. Mechanical: food is broken down by the teeth and moved through the digestive tract.
2. Chemical: food is mixed with digestive juices secreted by the mouth, stomach, small intestine, and pancreases. The digestive juices contains enzymes, which break down the food chemically so the nutrients can be absorbed into the blood.
II. Absorption:
After the food is digested, absorption occurs. Absorption is the process in which nblood or lymph capillaries pick up the digested nutrients. The nutrients are then carried by the circulatory system to every cell in the body.
Most absorption occurs in the small intestine, but water, salts, and some vitamins are absorbed in the large intestine.
